Gary Neville has predicted that Manchester United will use an old "political" tactic to ease the club's woes after they were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday.
After United were humiliated at Old Trafford back in October, the stage was set for them to restore some pride, but they were blown away by Liverpool who have recorded a 9-0 aggregate scoreline over their fierce rivals this season. The reaction on social media and unsurprisingly negative and United fans are at breaking point.
The feeling amongst former professionals was equally as sour, as Roy Keane and Gary Neville were both disgusted with United's performance whilst hailing Jurgen Klopp's side in the process. But Neville thinks that his former side will use a "political" move and announce the appointment of Erik ten Hag to sweep aside what is currently going on.
With United knocked out of every cup competition, that left just the Premier League to fight for. But with just one narrow victory in their last four league games, they have extinguished all hope that they could qualify for the Champions League next season.
However, there is a sense of hope around Old Trafford following the news that Ten Hag is set to be appointed as the club's new head coach, but Neville thinks that United will use this to their advantage. With the remainder of their season in tatters, Neville thinks that they will use their announcement as a "political" tactic to divert attention.
Neville told Sky Sports: "The quickness that Manchester United want to get Ten Hag out there as soon as possible is to take the pressure and the eye of everything that is currently going on at the football club. It is an old political tactic. They can’t wait to appoint him because it instantly shifts the focus to next season."
And Bruno Fernandes eluded to the fact that their season may already be over, after a telling post-match interview. Fernandes said: "Liverpool is fighting for the title, that’s the difference. We are not fighting for anything at the moment.
You can see the difference by the points. I don't need to be here saying about the difference of the level. We have to look at ourselves, from top to bottom and understand what is going wrong.
But although their chances of making the top four are slim, it's not impossible just yet, but Fernandes' attitude sums up exactly what is wrong at United as they have already appeared to down tools ahead of next season. However, he contradicted himself when being asked if United wanted the season to end.
Will Manchester United improve next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Fernandes added: “No that cannot happen. We are a big club. We are competing until the end, and somebody doesn’t want to compete they are out straight away. Nobody can put their head down now and think it is over. All of us have to understand we have something to fight for, at least for the badge."
But many United fans feel as though it is yet another empty promise, and as chants of 'you're not fit to wear the shirt' rang around Anfield, the supporters clearly feel as though they're not trying. Neville isn't surprised that they look defeated though, as he said that the players looked "broken".
"The players are broken, they are broken players," Neville said. "There are some decent players out there, they have talent and have played at good levels, but they are finished and they are broken this season. It is a mess.
"So, I have no idea and don’t know how to explain how it has gone from being slightly promising, finishing second last season, to the point of an all time low in my 42 years of watching United. I have never seen it as bad as that. I have never seen a Manchester United team wilt in a football game in my 40 years of watching them."
And perhaps one of the hardest pills to swallow for United is how far Liverpool have come, as the tables have drastically turned over the last decade. When describing the difference between the two sides, Neville said: Everything was the difference. Manchester United were a million miles away from that Liverpool team in every department.
"There isn’t anything you can say about that Manchester United team that can compete with this Liverpool team, on and off the pitch. It was a sobering evening, but I think every United fan expected it.
"I don’t think one United fan came here with one bit of hope whatsoever. But you try and build yourself in that little half an hour pre-kick-off that something could happen, but nothing, that team has got nothing."
