Hull City secured a surprise victory over Manchester United in their Premier League season opener at the MKM Stadium. The newly-promoted side claimed all three points courtesy of first-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy, both coming from set-piece situations.
Former Newcastle frontman Alan Shearer described United’s performance as dreadful across the entire pitch and noted they created no meaningful chances in the attacking third during their 2-0 loss. The result was certainly below expectations for Michael Carrick’s team, who had been considered favourites heading into the fixture against the promotion winners.
Shearer believes considerable work lies ahead for United, particularly in their ability to threaten opposition defences. He also raised concerns about the physical condition of several United players.
On Match of the Day, Shearer said that United were dreadful in all positions, particularly upfront, and they offered nothing. He added that at times he struggled to work out what they were trying to do. Shearer noted there was so much to work on and so much to improve. He acknowledged it was the first game of the season but there was without a doubt a lack of energy and they just did not look fit. He observed that there was only one team who were going to win that from the very first minute, referencing the energy and intensity he witnessed. Shearer identified this as the worrying aspect, noting that as a team going away from home to a newly promoted side, you know what you are going to get and you have to match them as a minimum, but United did not manage that today. He concluded that they could not live with them.
TalkSPORT presenter and ex-Premier League forward Tony Cascarino echoed these concerns, questioning why some United squad members failed to reach optimal fitness levels despite completing pre-season preparations.
On talkSPORT, Cascarino said he was amazed how many Manchester United players did not look fit. He noted some of them obviously did not go to the World Cup, so he was unsure what sort of summers they had. He pointed out that Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire were not there, Youri Tielemans came out of the World Cup quite early, and Cunha came out quite early. He mentioned there was a number of players in similar situations, including Bryan Mbeumo who also did not go to the World Cup. Cascarino observed that the two midfield players, Tielemans and Andrey Santos, were really off the pace.