Former Liverpool captain and prominent football pundit Graeme Souness has launched a stinging attack on the quality of the current Manchester United squad, labelling the vast majority of its players as 'average'.
A Brutal Two-Man Exception
In a frank interview with Sky Bet, Souness made an exception for only two members of Ruben Amorim's team: summer signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. United secured the attacking duo in the most recent transfer window, paying £62.5 million to Wolverhampton Wanderers for Cunha and £71 million to Brentford for Mbeumo.
The Cameroonian winger Mbeumo has made a solid start to his Old Trafford career, registering seven goals and an assist in 17 appearances. Despite their arrivals, Souness believes the rest of the squad, including established stars, fails to meet the required standard for a club of United's stature.
Top-Four Hopes Dashed by Inconsistency
Souness explicitly stated that he does not see this United side securing a coveted Champions League qualification spot this season. 'I don’t see them getting to the top four, which they have to do,' he asserted.
He pinpointed chronic inconsistency as the core issue plaguing manager Ruben Amorim. 'What Ruben Amorim’s got with that group of players is he doesn’t know what he’s going to get from them,' Souness explained. 'You’re sitting there with a wing and a prayer, "what are we going to get today?"'
This unpredictability, from his perspective, makes it impossible for the coaching staff to reliably gauge the team's performance levels before a match, leaving the club in a precarious position.
The Stakes for a 'Biggest Club'
The pundit framed his criticism within the context of Manchester United's global standing, calling them the 'biggest club in [English] football' and among the top three in the world. He stressed that a return to Europe's elite competition is non-negotiable for financial and sporting reasons.
'They need to get back into the Champions League for the obvious reasons – to generate more finance, to buy even better players, and to be attractive to the genuine big players,' Souness said, highlighting the cyclical challenge facing the club.
The remarks follow a 4-4 draw with AFC Bournemouth which left United sixth in the Premier League table after 16 games, two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea. Their next test comes on Sunday against high-flying Aston Villa, who currently sit third.
