Dwight Yorke delivered a damning indictment of the state of Manchester United, claiming he would not want to play in Erik ten Hag’s team, while modern players are ‘second guessing’ whether to join a club that has ‘lost its X-factor’.
Monday’s humiliating 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace leaves them on 54 points after 35 games, raising the prospect that Ten Hag could oversee the club’s worst ever Premier League campaign.
For Yorke, who joined United in a blockbuster move at the start of a treble-winning 1998-99 season from Aston Villa, the allure of United is fading on today’s big names.
‘I think that people are second guessing about whether they want to join United,’ Yorke said.
‘It never used to be a club that you contemplated coming to. United is in for you? You don’t think about it. Now players are thinking “I am not so sure.” That’s not a good sign.’
Dwight Yorke has issued a damning assessment of Manchester United, insisting he ‘wouldn’t want to play’ for them and arguing that modern players ‘second-guess’ if they want to join
Former strike partner Andy Cole thinks the ‘legacy’ United legends left is being tarnished as the club struggles to compete for honours
The two feature in a documentary coming out soon celebrating the Treble winners of 1999 (Cole left, Yorke right)
Asked if he would like to occupy the striker role of Rasmus Hojlund right now, the 52-year-old was emphatic.
‘I wouldn’t want to play,’ he said.
‘Whether you want to face that sort of aggro coming in, it’s just knowing that there’s a lack of creativity, lack of passion, the negative talk about the team. It’s just a real bad place to be if you are a United player, not just a centre forward.’
Yorke sat alongside former team-mate Andy Cole as he reflected on the current United side’s malaise on a night that was all about celebrating the Treble heroes of ’99 ahead of a new documentary that airs next week.
The pair’s blossoming relationship en route to winning the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup was obvious in the three-part film, so too was the team’s high standards to deliver success.
For Cole, he has been left upset at United’s dramatic decline.
‘It’s hard because I never saw Manchester United being in this position, I’ve got to be brutally honest,’ he said.
‘Ultimately, the team that I was involved in, we left a legacy for players who want to come to the club and try to emulate us and do the same thing. Sometimes I look at the team now and the teams previously, and you scratch your head, because you’ve got to understand what Manchester United is all about.
Yorke sees a ‘lack of passion’ at the club and thinks it is a ‘bad place to be’ for footballers
He sympathises with Rasmus Hojlund’s ‘difficult’ burden and thinks he was ‘too inexperienced’ to join as the club’s number nine
‘It’s about winning, it’s about competing, it’s about being involved in and pushing for major honours, especially in the domestic game.
‘We’re so far away. We keep saying “Oh another couple of years”, but it’s been longer than a couple of years, we’ve got to be brutally honest. When are Man United going to be involved in the title race? Who knows? It is like that now.’
The pair were in agreement before hitting the red carpet that modern day United, who are eighth in the Premier League and 13 points outside the top four, are a world away from the Treble winners.
‘It’s so far apart, it’s not even close to say the least,’ Yorke said.
‘What is more painful about it is we can’t even qualify for the Champions League. For me, that’s the minimum. You can accept you aren’t close to winning the league but when you aren’t even qualifying for the Champions League, that’s a whole new level.’
The pair also look pained when asked about the sympathy they feel for Hojlund.
The 21-year-old arrived in the summer for £72million and bar a short purple patch over the Christmas period, he has found it tough to carry the entire goalscoring load this season.
For Cole and Yorke, who were pushed on during the Treble season by Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Hojlund needs far more help to reach his true potential.
United, sat eighth in the Premier League table, are a world away from the 1999 Treble winners
Cole said that Manchester United is ‘about winning’, reflecting on the 1998-99 season he was involved in (Peter Schmeichel, left, and Ryan Giggs, right, pictured)
‘I’ve said many times that for such a young guy to come to Manchester United and score goals it’s difficult,’ Cole said.
‘To come to Man United and have no-one to learn off, it’s difficult.
‘Me coming to Man United I had Sparky [Mark Hughes] and Eric [Cantona], they move on. I had Yorkey, Teddy, Ole, and I genuinely like to believe we all took something from each other’s game and we all learned from each other.
‘When you have a young man come to Man United and everyone says he’s Man United’s No 9… you’re like “he’s not experienced enough to be No 9”.’
99 is available exclusively on Prime Video on May 17, when all three parts will drop globally
