Sincere criticism of a team could not have come from a better source than from a former insider who knows the trait and culture of such team. Former Manchester United goalkeeper Roy Carroll who watched his Olympiakos team-mates inflict a damaging 2-0 Champions League defeat on his old club last week has blasted the current United side saying they lack the fighting spirit which is synonymous with the brand Manchester United.
“We watched a lot of Premier League games this season and knew United had not been performing. On the night when I was watching it live from the stands, I’ve never seen a Manchester United team like it.
“They’ve got good players but they had no hunger, no fight in the team so it was a shock in that way but not a shock the way we played. The goals we got were well deserved. At the end of the day you can be a good player but you have to give 100 per cent and give everything.
“For me Manchester United didn’t give that and looked like they had no hunger and fight for the game. I don’t know if they thought they would get an easy game but no professional should go into a football match and think that.”
The keeper who spoke to the media ahead of his country’s (Northern Ireland) friendly against Cyprus stated that the current crop at Old Trafford have been shirking responsibility since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
“They might have slacked off since Sir Alex left, it’s football, people have their routines. You can’t do that in the Premier League. It’s a big league with top and bottom teams fighting for points and you have to be prepared every game,” he said.