Gary Neville has made his feelings clear that Kobbie Mainoo should have received one important instruction during Manchester United’s Premier League defeat to Fulham last week.
Fulham inflicted a major blow to Manchester United’s top-four Premier League ambitions after Marco Silva’s men picked up a 2-1 win at Old Trafford.
United had picked up four consecutive Premier League wins before the Red Devils failed to impress against Fulham after putting in a lacklustre performance.
Calvin Bassey broke the deadlock in the second half before former United skipper Harry Maguire cancelled out Fulham’s opener in the 89th minute of the contest.
However, Alex Iwobi ensured that Marco Silva’s side snatched all three Premier League points after he smashed the ball past Andre Onana in injury time.
The Red Devils are eight points behind fourth-place Aston Villa ahead of their crucial Premier League showdown with Manchester City at the Etihad.
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Jamie Carragher on Man Utd star Mainoo
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher pulled no punches towards Manchester United’s defending after the defeat to Premier League side Fulham in February.
During his analysis of United, Carragher singled out Kobbie Mainoo and questioned the coaching tactics that the teenage sensation was receiving for the Fulham match.
The Sky Sports pundit insisted that he was not criticising Mainoo directly, but Carragher wanted to highlight the lack of synergy in United’s overall style of play.
Speaking on the Stick to Football show, Carragher explained: “I used a clip from the kick-off.
“Nothing else going on in the game; you must know exactly what you need to do.
“That’s why I used the clip, because the young lad in midfield, it looked like he didn’t really know… this was like 20 seconds into the game.”
Neville on Carragher’s comments and Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo has had a remarkable season for United so far and the 18-year-old youth academy product has established himself as a key midfield figure.
The Stockport-born player has been widely hailed for his impact since his emergence in the United first team, with Mainoo making his presence felt during matches.
However, Mainoo had a largely forgettable performance against Fulham, with the Red Devils teenager withdrawn in the 80th minute for Amad Diallo.
Gary Neville insisted that the “blame” was on Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire and the United duo should have provided clear-cut instructions for Mainoo.
“I do blame centre-backs for that,” he said on The Overlap.
“I think if there’s a player there, Kobbie’s there and there’s a player in front, I’d expect a defender there to say ‘Kobbie, drop back one’ and I’m going in.
“I’d always say to the player in front of me to screen or go and press, you’d always give them information.”
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