Neville's Scathing Critique of United Display
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville delivered a brutal assessment of Luke Shaw's performance during United's shocking 1-0 home defeat to Everton on Monday night. The Sky Sports pundit didn't hold back in his criticism, particularly targeting Shaw's perceived lack of urgency as United struggled to break down ten men.
Everton secured an unlikely victory despite playing with ten men for over 75 minutes after Idrissa Gueye's bizarre red card for slapping teammate Michael Keane in the 13th minute. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall's first-half strike proved enough for the Toffees to claim all three points at Old Trafford.
'A Waste of Time' - Neville's Fury Grows
Neville's frustration mounted throughout the second half as he watched Shaw's movement, or lack thereof, in United's back three. 'I'm not saying it's easy playing against ten men, you have to play with some urgency, you have to put as many players as possible forward, into forward areas,' Neville stated during his commentary.
The former England full-back specifically called out Shaw's 'ambling' approach to joining the attack. 'Shaw is starting to move forward a little bit, but he's ambling forward, let's be clear. He's been bugging me for the last 20 minutes. Look at him.'
As the game progressed without United finding an equaliser, Neville's criticism intensified. He declared Shaw's role in a back three against ten men as 'a waste of time' and insisted the defender should have been making more dynamic runs forward.
Tactical Stubbornness Costs United
Manager Ruben Amorim maintained his preferred 3-4-3 formation throughout the match, even as United chased the game against depleted opposition. This meant United had five defenders on the pitch simultaneously in Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Luke Shaw, Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu, with Diogo Dalot later replacing Dorgu.
Neville showed some sympathy for young defender Yoro, acknowledging he's 'not as comfortable on the ball', but maintained that Shaw's conservative positioning was unacceptable in the circumstances. 'You can't do that. You should be running forward every single time, I don't care,' Neville emphasised.
The defeat represents a significant setback for United, who missed the opportunity to move into the Premier League's top four. Instead, they remain in 10th position, suffering their first defeat since September amid growing frustration from fans who booed the team off at full-time.
