Manchester United draw leaves club in Premier League relegation zone

Manchester United’s 4-4 draw with Aston Villa left the club 18th in the Premier League, as former players Gary and Phil Neville criticised its defending and broader football leadership. The match at Old Trafford saw United twice come back from two goals behind to earn a point, but the result kept the team in the relegation zone.

Phil Neville singled out the back four that finished the match: Noussair Mazraoui, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Patrick Dorgu. He said the group was not good enough to keep Manchester United in the Premier League. His assessment was opinion, not a finding about the team’s eventual league outcome.

Gary Neville focused on the club’s recruitment and management structure. He said changing the manager alone would not address the problems, citing what he described as poor recruitment, an underperforming performance department and a lack of aligned leadership. He pointed to a succession of managers over 12 years and said the same problems had persisted through changes in the dugout.

Neville said Michael Carrick could leave or stay, but argued that another managerial change would only provide a temporary improvement. The draw left Carrick’s future in question in...