Gary Neville has revealed the in-game text he received from his teenage daughter during Manchester United's dismal draw with Tottenham Hotspur, as the club's poor start to the season continued at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Michael Carrick's side were dominated by Spurs but took a surprise lead through Bryan Mbeumo before Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off. However, United could not hold on, with Dominic Solanke scoring a stoppage-time equaliser, and the team were booed off the pitch at full-time.
Neville's daughter left baffled
Speaking after the match, the United legend opened up on a text from his daughter, who was left confused by the performance. He said: "I think the fans will stay with the project. I don't think the boos are against Michael Carrick for one minute. But what I would say is that they're turning quite quickly."
"Manchester United fans are incredibly loyal, beyond loyal, to their managers and to their players, but what they won't accept is a lack of energy. They won't accept a lack of what they deem to be effort. I don't like saying effort, but the reality is they're not running enough, they're not showing enough tenacity, determination, fighting spirit. They're just not."
"They booed after 22 minutes, they booed at half-time, and they booed at the end. That tells you that they're really, really despondent with what they're watching. My daughter comes and watches every single week. She texted me at half-time, 'What's that?' My daughter's 16 years of age. You can't kid or con a football fan."
United languishing in 12th
The result has left United sitting 12th in the Premier League with just one win from their opening six games of the campaign, that solitary victory coming against Ipswich Town at the end of August. It was also the second home game in succession where the Red Devils failed to win having gone ahead.
Carrick spoke out on the boos that met his side's performance at the full-time whistle. He said: "Obviously, it hurts, you know, it hurts a lot. It's not nice to go through, but sometimes you have to go through it. That's how it is, you know. It's coming from a good place, really, and so I understand it."
Champions League test awaits
United will be hoping for improvement in midweek as they take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, ahead of next weekend's clash with Leeds United at Elland Road.
