John Barnes: This is what needs to change at Man United
John Barnes has his say on what needs to change at Man United if they are to bounce back next season from a disappointing campaign this term
John Barnes believes that Manchester United’s players need to show a better attitude after their disastrous end to the season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils had initially enjoyed a positive run of form after Solskjaer was brought in as Jose Mourinho’s successor back in December, but their results tailed off after the Norwegian was handed the job on a permanent basis back in March.
Manchester United signed off for the season with a 2-0 loss to Cardiff City in front of their home fans at Old Trafford as they slumped to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.
The Red Devils will now look to regroup over the summer and bring in some players to bolster their squad as they look to avoid three trophyless campaigns in a row next season.
Former Liverpool FC and England star Barnes feels that Manchester United’s players need to improve their attitude, and he also believed that Solskjaer must be fully backed by the club.
Asked what needs to improve at Manchester United before next season, Barnes exclusively told The Sport Review for bookmaker comparison platform BonusCodeBets.co.uk: “The players need to have a better attitude than what they’ve shown.
“It’s easy to play when everything is going well and it’s easy to play when who you believe is the reason for your discontent is now gone. With Mourinho gone they were happy and performed for seven or eight games. But you then have to perform all the time.
“The manager has to be allowed to shout at you. The hierarchy and the fans need to give the manager power to take every decision and keep the focus off the players.
“Look at the two teams who ran away with the league, Liverpool and Man City. Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are the two most powerful managers. Whatever decision they take, they don’t have to keep the players happy – the players have to keep them happy.
“At other clubs, when you’re talking about keeping players happy, I think it’s a recipe for disaster.
“So I think they have to allow Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, if he wants to drop or shout at Paul Pogba for Pogba to respond in the right way, he has to be allowed to do that.
“It’s no different at Manchester United to any other club, because Maurizio Sarri had it at Chelsea.
“When you stop blaming the manager and start putting the pressure on the players to perform, that’s when you start seeing the consistency that Liverpool and Man City show.”
Manchester United are bound to be linked with a host of players this summer as they look to overhaul their squad ahead of next season.
The Red Devils have not won the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson’s final campaign in charge in 2012-13.
