Gary Neville hits out at Man United's 'ageing spine' - and claims four stars should be 'doing a lot better' after Nottingham Forest draw

Gary Neville has taken aim at Manchester United's 'ageing spine' after the club's three-match winning run came to an end at the weekend.

The Red Devils, who endured a disappointing start to the season under Ruben Amorim, enjoyed an impressive run of three wins against Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton before being held to a 2-2 draw by Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

United took the lead through Casemiro in the first half before crumbling straight after the break, conceding two goals in two minutes to find themselves behind.

Amorim's side managed to recover a point thanks to a superb long-distance volley from Amad Diallo in the 81st minute — and nearly won the game at the death but for a last-gasp clearance off the line from Forest centre-back Murillo.

After the draw, which saw United slip from fifth to eighth in the Premier League table, ex-Red Devils captain Neville urged Amorim's senior players to step up, claiming that the 'ageing spine' should be 'doing a lot better' at Old Trafford.

'I think your spine of a football team is critical. When I first came into Man United, our spine was (Peter) Schmeichel, (Steve) Bruce, (Gary) Pallister, (Roy) Keane and (Eric) Cantona and so we were all scattered around it,' Neville told The Overlap and Betfair’s Stick to Cricket show.

'We literally were able to be cushioned by this unbelievably strong spine that delivered reliably every single week.

'I think (Harry) Maguire and (Matthijs) de Ligt should be doing a lot better than they are. You know, you look at the experience that those two have got.

'De Ligt's played a mountain of games at sort of different levels, the highest level. Harry's played so many times for England. You've got the midfield, Casemiro and Bruno have got massive experience.

'Up front, they haven't got the experience. But to me, that spine of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Maguire and De Ligt is ageing, but should be doing a lot better at holding it all together than they do.

'That's why I think Liverpool are good because they've got Alisson, (Virgil) van Dijk, they've got (Alexis) Mac Allister and (Ryan) Gravenberch in midfield and then they've got obviously the centre-forwards that they've got.'

Despite scoring twice or more in the last four games, Amorim's side are continuing to leak goals at the other end. 

With new players continuing to adapt to life at Old Trafford and certain players being deployed out of position, Man United are currently sitting with the worst defence inside the top half, having conceded 16 goals already.

By choosing to play Fernandes — arguably United's best attacking player — in a deeper midfield role alongside Real Madrid legend Casemiro, Amorim has sacrificed solidity in midfield to get summer signings Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko on the pitch further forward.

Meanwhile, the manager has trusted De Ligt and Maguire to partner 19-year-old defender Leny Yoro in the heart of defence, while deploying Diallo — a winger by trade — as a full back. 

While De Ligt only arrived at Old Trafford last season, he has a wealth of experience at top clubs including Ajax. Juventus and Bayern Munich, once regarded as one of the best young centre-halves in world football. 

Maguire arrived at Manchester United for £80million in 2019 and has managed to reclaim his place in Amorim's regular first team after a prolonged period on the fringes. 

He was, however, left out of the starting lineup to face Forest, with Luke Shaw coming in to replace him. 

Despite being told by Neville to step up, Maguire produced United's best moment of the season so far last month — scoring the Red Devils' dramatic late winner against bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield.

United travel to north London on Saturday to take on Thomas Frank's Tottenham, who were booed off by the own fans after a disappointing 1-0 defeat by Chelsea last weekend.