Betfair Ambassador Dimitar Berbatov doesn’t hold back in his verdict on Manchester United’s derby performance, Harry Maguire’s leadership and Marcus Rashford’s future.
It’s not easy, when you are under pressure, but I have been there and that is the nature of playing for a top club. You need to deal with it.
I was angered and saddened by Manchester United’s performance against Manchester City. It was unacceptable. And I’m not only talking about the second-half.
United had no gameplan. Or if they did, they didn’t stick to it. City’s talented players were able to exploit United’s weaknesses. Everything about the match was disappointing to me.
United are inconsistent. I see no evidence of a plan when I watch them. On paper, they have a talented squad but it doesn’t work out for them on the pitch.
The players and the manager must ask themselves: “What more can I do? How can I do more for this team?” They need to take responsibility.
Maguire’s mistakes undermine his captaincy
I played with some great leaders at United, such as Nemanja Vidic and Wayne Rooney, and when things are not going well for the team the finger is always pointed at the captain.
Harry Maguire can perform better. He knows that. The mistakes he is making are damaging his ability to lead the team. He needs to correct his positioning and work on his decision-making.
It’s not easy, when you are under pressure, but I have been there and that is the nature of playing for a top club. It is part of being a professional. You need to deal with it.
Ralf Rangnick can step in here. Maybe he needs to give Maguire a rest and give somebody else a chance.
Too early for Rashford to think about leaving
It was strange that Marcus Rashford did not start the Manchester derby, especially with United missing Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani.
It’s understandable that Rashford wants to start games and, if he’s still not being picked by the end of the season, I’d expect him to be considering his future at the club.
But he needs to remember that there will be another manager in charge next season and players who haven’t had a look in under Rangnick will get another chance.
So it’s a bit too soon for Rashford to be thinking about leaving for another club.
Sir Alex was unhappy when I wanted to leave
It’s disappointing when you are left out. I experienced it and it wasn’t pleasant. You ask yourself, am I good enough? What do I need to do to get into the starting 11?
As a player, must ask the gaffer why you’re being left out. Sometimes you get a helpful answer but sometimes you come away from those conversations even more confused. Some manager’s simply don’t know what to say. It can be a tough conversation. Managers are human too.
As a professional, under contract, all you can do is train hard and hope that by performing when you do get your chance you will get your place back in the team.
This is one of the problems of squad rotation – it’s always going to leave some players unhappy. You can play well, then be left out the next time, and that’s difficult for the player to understand.
Near the end of my time at United, I went to Sir Alex Ferguson and told him straight that I wasn’t playing enough and wanted to leave. He didn’t like what he heard. He liked me as a player and a human being, but he needed to give all the strikers a chance.
As difficult as it was to leave United, I needed to go, because I loved football and I needed to be playing.
Source: Betfair Premier League
