Do Man Utd players and coaches need to embrace criticism from ex-players like Neville and Rooney?

Martin Macdonald

• 7 Jan 2026 06:30 CST
• 5 min read

Nieuws

Manchester United continually label themselves as one of the biggest clubs in world football so it is only natural that criticism comes with the territory if you are a player of manager at Old Trafford - particularly if things are going badly.

Just ask...David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag or Ruben Amorim.

All of these men have tried and failed to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as permanent Man Utd manager and Amorim was the latest to lose his job after not only overseeing poor performances on the pitch, but after becoming increasingly prickly in press conferences.

In fact, he specifically name checked Gary Neville, believing that people at the club care too much about what ex-Man Utd players think.

"If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything we need to change the club," he said.

Neville isn't alone in his criticism of Amorim, the team and the club as a whole, as other former Man Utd stars like Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Nicky Butt have stuck the boot in recently.

With the Red Devils sixth in the table and a complete breakdown in the relationship between Amorim and sporting director Jason Wilcox, the Portuguese was sacked on Monday.

Solskjaer is expected to return for another stint until the end of the season, but Darren Fletcher will be in charge for the midweek clash versus Burnley on Wednesday.

The Scot says when he was a player, severe criticism was expected.

"I can only reflect on my experience as a player and it was there when I was a player," he said in a press conference.

"I was a young player, I had to come into the team in a season where we finished second and it's the end of the world and I've experienced that. What I look back on is, and I'm very lucky, we had Sir Alex, we had Roy Keane, we had the experienced players around us who protected us and helped us and fundamentally that's not the case anymore because there will never be another Sir Alex.

"So it is difficult but it's the same in every club but Manchester United is the biggest club in the world so that scrutiny, expectation, standard, it's there and it's something that you have to deal with. You have to learn to deal with, you have to get help to deal with, for some people it happens naturally, some people have to take time to get used to it but surely you try and have to deal with that constantly.

"I think it's the life of a footballer, it's a modern day world and it's something that the players have to learn to deal with and they will and sometimes it takes time and sometimes some people can't and that's just life and that's just the way it is. So my thing is it's there, learn to deal with it, find a way however best suits you and embrace the challenge of being at Manchester United. Be excited by it but recognise that there there is a lot of scrutiny and a lot of pressure and a lot of noise."

Criticism from ex players

The likes of Neville, Scholes, Rooney and Butt often spout their thoughts and criticisms on podcasts or as television pundits.

Scholes and Butt said on their podcast that Amorim's style of play didn't match United's historical DNA and that it was a betrayal of the club's attacking principles.

Neville went viral last week for calling Amorim's decision to withdraw Joshua Zirkzee at half-time against Wolves "a really bad one".

Fletcher, however long he is in charge, is set to embrace this criticism from his former team-mates.

"You can’t ask them to go easier because they're passionate guys and I think they have their right to their opinion and they're really good," the interim boss explained.

🗣️ "Number one for me... Thomas Tuchel" 🙌

Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt discuss their dream replacements for Ruben Amorim... 👀 pic.twitter.com/zQMvXRVezj

— The Good, The Bad & The Football (@goodbadftblpod) January 5, 2026

"They're engaging, they're good to listen to. I enjoy listening to them, you know. I had years of listening to them in the dressing room and I used to sit and listen to them and take it all in. I think winning football games is important. Winning football games, winning trophies, going on a journey, that's life, that's football, especially here. It's about winning. People want to win football games, people want to be entertained, people have a standard of what Manchester United is and what Manchester United expects.

"I think the fans, especially in Old Trafford, have been amazing in recent years if I'm perfectly honest with you. I think there's been a few moments here and there, but in general the support that the fans have given players, managers, understanding of the situation, I think it could have been a lot worse inside the stadium.

"Outside noise, ex-players, it's difficult to deal with, it's not easy because those players have won everything. They've got success behind them, they've got trophies, so it's hard to criticise them back because they've got their medals on the table, so it's really, really difficult. But again, that's what it is being a Manchester United player. Get your head around it, learn how you're going to deal with it, and embrace the challenge."

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•App Store