Man United need players who can hurt opponents, says ex-Chelsea man

Manchester United need players that are capable of hurting the opposition, according to Pat Nevin.

The Reds Devils twice surrendered a winning position to draw 3-3 with Newcastle United at St James’s Park on Tuesday night.

Louis van Gaal’s side have only won twice in their last 11 games in all competitions, including a run of four successive defeats.

The Red Devils face bitter rivals Liverpool at Anfield in their next Premier League fixture on Sunday afternoon as Van Gaal’s side look to return to winning ways.

Former Chelsea midfielder Nevin pointed out the lack of players capable of punishing opponents is contributing to United’s problems at the moment.

“I would be saying, and you’d say it to any top team that isn’t doing well, the bigger players aren’t willing to go and hurt the opposition,” Nevin told Newstalk’s Off The Ball.

“Rooney is a fabulous player but he hasn’t gone beyond anyone. If you’re playing him up front on his own, he isn’t going to go beyond anyone so the game won’t be stretched.

“You need to find somebody who can go and hurt the opposition up front.”

The Red Devils have only managed to record one win in their last eight Premier League games since a 2-1 victory over Watford at the end of November.

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The 20-time English champions were 2-1 winners against Liverpool at Anfield last season thanks to Juan Mata’s brilliant brace on Merseyside.