The Manchester United squad is filled with ‘so many average players’.
That’s the view of ex-Arsenal and Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit, who only selected THREE players from their current crop to not possess his average tag.
Man United sit 13th in the Premier League with just seven points and two wins from six following a limp 3-0 defeat at home to Tottenham.
Pressure is once again mounting on Erik ten Hag, although talkSPORT understands he is set to stay as manager for the next two games at least.
Their poor start to the season has followed a summer in which they spent just shy of £180million on new signings, with little progress yet to show for their acquisitions.
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World Cup winner and Arsenal legend Petit believes that United are a ‘mess’ and offered plaudits to just Andre Onana, Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo.
“I think there are so many troubles at Manchester United,” he said on talkSPORT Drive. “If you look at the pitch… On the pitch, it’s terrible to watch.
“But if you look at the work they’ve done so far for the last couple of years at Manchester United, especially in the transfer market, they’ve been wrong for ages.
“So, maybe you’re going to change the manager… If you put [Pep] Guardiola, the best manager, even [Mikel] Arteta on the bench at Manchester United, I’m not sure they’ll do better. Because, I think there are so many average players over there.”
Andy Goldstein asked if he could name the players he was referring to, but Petit said: “I think if they’re listening to us, I think they’ll understand exactly what I’m saying.”
Petit was then questioned on those he thinks are good enough to play at United, and he replied: “I think the goalkeeper [Andre Onana].
“I think at the moment he’s probably the only positive sign, and he’s been under criticism for months and months since he signed for Manchester United.
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“I still believe [Marcus] Rashford is a great player but for the last two years he’s not there anymore because his mind is not there, and I’m pretty sure it’s about what happened at Manchester United but his own private things as well.
“But there is a couple of players that for me, you could see the quality of the players, but they cannot show it for weeks now because it’s a mess over there.”
One of United’s biggest summer signings was Manuel Ugarte, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain in a deal that could potentially reach £50.8million but has so far struggled to make an impact.
Petit was on hand to praise the midfielder but hinted that his move to Old Trafford has been tough so far due to a lack of confidence.
“I’m not a big fan of Ugarte,” he said. “I like him, but I’m not a huge fan because he’s kind of a destroyer sometimes on the pitch. He’s a fighter, he’s a warrior, he can win balls, second balls, he can manage the balance of the team.
“But you can see that’s what happened at Paris Saint-Germain, it’s still in his head, you know? He lost confidence in the last six months with Paris Saint-Germain.
“Remember last season when they played away at Newcastle and they had been trashed 4-1 [in the Champions League] and after that game, he disappeared on the first XI, so I think he lost confidence.
“And he arrived in an environment which is very negative so if you bring players, you need to bring players with a lot of confidence, you know? To fight against this awful environment they actually have in the dressing room.”
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Gabby Agbonlahor asked Petit if Ugarte can do the role that Rodri does at their rivals Manchester City, with the midfield powerhouse one of the best players in world football.
“No, definitely not,” said the former midfield man. “You cannot put Rodri and Ugarte on the same line.”
But when queried on whether or not he is a fan of Kobbie Mainoo, Petit responded: “Yes, definitely. When I saw the game against Spurs, he was out of the game and he was not very happy.
“So he was probably one of the good exceptions within the dressing room and all of a sudden, I think he’s losing his happiness as well.”
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United return to action on Thursday for a Europa League trip to Porto, live on talkSPORT, in desperate search of a win to improve the atmosphere at the club.
They then face a tough test away at Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday where a defeat could see them fall further down the table.
