Alan Shearer doesn’t usually have anything good to say about Manchester United.
The Premier League’s record goalscorer 15-years after retiring, with 260 goals, has weighed in on the criticism of United players for their “lack of effort” during their 1-1 draw against Burnley on Tuesday night.
Although United didn’t play all that well in the second half, we dominated in the first-half and created more than enough chances to win take all three points from the trip to Turf Moor.
Paul Pogba gave us the lead with his first Premier League goal in over a year, while the Reds also had two goals disallowed. At least one of those still seems like an awful call from referee Mike Dean and his VAR assistants.
Jay Rodriguez netted his 100th Premier League goal to make it 1-1 on the night and United were unable to find a winner against the league’s worst side.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Shearer criticised both Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay for not stopping Wout Weghorst in the build-up to Burnley’s equaliser. The Dutchman turned the pair before assisting Rodriguez.
“From Manchester United’s point of view, I mean Maguire and McTominay? The lack of effort and the lack of a tackle from Maguire and McTominay was embarrassing in that midfield,” Shearer said, as cited by the Manchester Evening News.
“It was far too easy and that’s how Burnley scored.”
SN’s verdict
Like Rio Ferdinand said, McTominay was only offering his body as a shield to try win back possession. Maguire’s job was to stop Weghorst from turning without overcommitting himself.
They made life harder for themselves but it seems harsh to fault McTominay for effort last night.
After all, he didn’t rate poorly in our post-match ratings.
Maguire certainly deserves his criticism because his performances have been way below bar all season.
