Graeme Souness says midfielder Bruno Fernandes is too ‘petulant’ to be a top player and feels only let leave because he is past his best.
The Red Devils scraped past Norwich City on Saturday in a 3-2 victory thanks to a hat-trick from , keeping their slim top-four hopes alive as they closed the gap to fourth-placed Tottenham to just three points.
Even if United do manage to secure Champions League football next season, this campaign – which started with a huge amount of optimism – has been a massive disappointment.
Now Liverpool legend Souness has pointed the finger at United’s underperforming players and the club’s lacklustre recruitment, with even top assister Fernandes and top scorer Ronaldo facing criticism.
Writing in his column for , Souness said: ‘Ten Hag is walking into an absolute disaster. On the pitch, it has been a car crash of a club in the decade since [Sir Alex Ferguson] left.
‘That’s down to consistently terrible football decisions. Whoever made them has not been a football person.
‘Not one big-name signing since Fergie left has been an unqualified success. Bruno Fernandes comes closest, but he’s had one good season and one indifferent one.
‘To be a top player he has to cut out the petulance he shows towards his team-mates.’
Turning his attention to summer signings Ronaldo and Varane, Souness continued: ‘Cristiano Ronaldo has a claim to be the best player ever, but is showing signs of being a frustrated figure coming to the end of playing at the highest level.
‘Before he signed, I’d have made it clear he would not play every game but would have wanted him to be an example to everyone in the dressing room.
‘It looks like he’s finding it hard to get that message across because of how the modern game has evolved and he can’t make the impression he wants any more.
‘Critics often focus on Harry Maguire among United’s centre backs but in Raphael Varane, I don’t see the same player he was five years ago, bringing me back to what the great Jock Stein said: “Never judge a player on memory.”
‘Real Madrid tend not to let top players leave, a good example being Mesut Ozil at Arsenal.’
Souness also took aim at interim boss Ralf Rangnick, adding: ‘I’d love to know why one of the world’s most prestigious clubs hired Ralf Rangnick from Russia. What made them think that he was a good fit?
‘Was Fergie asked for his opinion? It looked like a nice pension plan for Rangnick from day one and still does, as he’s set to stay as an adviser for two more years.’
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