Gary Neville said he was lost for words after Manchester United drew 4-4 at home against Aston Villa, describing the situation at Old Trafford as "absolutely desperate" and one that "just can't go on."
United twice came from two goals down to equalise, with Patrick Dorgu and Joshua Zirkzee scoring in added time to earn a point. That ended a run of back-to-back Premier League defeats, but still leaves the club in the relegation zone.
Neville Points Finger at Ownership
Speaking on NBC's television coverage after the full-time whistle, Neville said: "I don't know what to say, really." He then criticised the trend of players and staff walking around the pitch applauding fans after defeats.
"I played for Manchester United 602 times. And I always appreciated the fans at the end of the game," he said. "But this pattern of basically them walking around the pitch and a lap of honour after defeats at home against Bournemouth, a 4-4 at home against Aston Villa, it's almost painful to watch; it's like they're almost causing themselves emotional damage."
Carrick Future in Focus
With a fortnight until the next match due to the international break, attention has turned to Michael Carrick's future. Neville has not explicitly called for the manager to be sacked, instead blaming the club's owners.
"The problem right now is that the ownership and leadership within the club are inept; they don't know what to do, they're stuck, and there is a paralysis of the fact that they want Michael Carrick to succeed - I want him to succeed - but you've got to make big decisions," he said.
Neville added that sacking the manager would not change anything, saying: "I don't want to see Michael Carrick get sacked, but this just cannot go on. Manchester United, I think, are second or third-bottom in the league after 10 games."
No Decision Yet on Manager
United have not yet made a firm decision on Carrick's future and are set to discuss the next steps over the international break. Mauricio Pochettino, Eddie Howe, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte are among several names linked with the job.
