Man Utd's 'biggest problem' named by Gary Neville after Newcastle defeat

Gary Neville has taken aim at the Manchester United squad after Sunday's humbling 4-1 defeat away at Newcastle United.

Ruben Amorim's side sit 14th in the Premier League standings after goals from Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and a Harvey Barnes double handed them their 14th defeat of the campaign and left them just three points above West Ham United in 17th.

Analysing the game after the final whistle, Neville conceded there can be no questioning the effort levels of this United squad but argued the players are simply not good enough to be anywhere other than in the bottom half of the standings.

"They're not a very good team, simple as that," he told NBC Sports. "There have been Manchester United teams over the years when the biggest problem has been that they've not given it their all. The problem with this group of players is that they're giving it their all.

"I don't think there's a lack of effort. They're so below the standard and quality you need at that football club.

"Other than Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo maybe, I can't think of any of them that I would hang my hat on. It's a really desperate situation because the squad is so poor in quality. They've got old and young players that are nowhere near it and then there's a group of players in the middle. It's a worrying situation."

While head coach Ruben Amorim has insisted he will start next season aiming to win the Premier League title, Neville warned supporters there could be years of struggling while those making the decisions work to rectify the current situation.

"There are massive issues but honestly you don't know where to start, where to build the first step from," he explained. "There's a serious amount of time required and good recruitment for that club to get right."

The focus for United is now solely on Thursday's Europa League quarter-final second leg against Lyon. The score is locked at 2-2 from the first leg after a handful of errors from Andre Onana gifted the French side a straight shoot-out to qualify for the semi-final on Thursday.

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