Former Liverpool and England midfielder John Barnes has questioned the attitude of Manchester United's players, insisting it is the biggest problem that the club currently faces.
United, who will resume their Premier League campaign at home to Leicester City on April 2, have faced a storm of criticism this season for underwhelming and uninspiring performances. But whilst they have failed to deliver the goods far too often collectively, too many individuals have also faced strict criticism.
Figures such as Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have been heavily criticised throughout the campaign, as have others. United, at times, have downed tools and been made to pay, such as in their 5-0 defeat to Liverpool and the recent 4-1 drubbing against Manchester City.
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It was hoped that the interim appointment of Ralf Rangnick in November would breathe a new lease of life into United's players, but familiar problems have persisted, with their attitude and application frequently coming under scrutiny. Therefore, former Liverpool ace Barnes is pinning the blame on United's players for their current woes, insisting they must be put "under pressure by the fans" to improve their levels of performance.
"Manchester United's biggest issue is the attitude of their players, as with many clubs such as Tottenham," Barnes told BonusCodeBets. "It's not up to Ralf Rangnick to improve the displays, it's for the players to perform week in, week out.
"How do they perform so brilliantly one week, but not the next? If you look at Liverpool and Manchester City, their manager has complete power.
"The players must be put under pressure by the fans to demand performances weekly, rather than questioning the manager as they did with Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The players need more pressure to perform."
The overall mindset and character of United's players have been regularly questioned throughout this season and former captain Gary Neville, not for the first time, has criticised them, this time for enjoying some downtime during the current international break. Several players have jetted off abroad to relax ahead of the season restarting at the beginning of next month - but Neville is far from impressed.
Neville tweeted: "I remember a time when United players, managers, executives wouldn't be seen in their local Italian after a draw at home let alone getting knocked out of Europe. This last week we’ve seen a global tour of F1, Concerts, Cricket and UFC events. This lot are Tone Deaf!"
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