Old boy labels Man Utd defending ‘unacceptable’ with quick fix needed

Wes Brown believes some of the goals conceded by Manchester United have been ‘unacceptable’, as he admitted they need to find a way to inject consistency into their performances to have any hope of success.

Question marks over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future as United manager has been a constant theme of debate around United throughout his tenure at Old Trafford, with former Man Utd defender Brown suggesting defensive errors have been the primary concern this season.

The goal conceded in the Champions League defeat against Istanbul Basaksehir last month was especially alarming and a low point of Solskjaer’s time as boss. Demba Ba was left unmarked from a United corner and allowed to run half the length of the pitch without any United player tracking him.

Now Brown, who won five Premier League titles and two Champions League winners’ medals during his time at United, believes Harry Maguire and his defensive colleagues need to step hip to the mark in the second half of the season.

“The concentration levels of some of the defensive lads have not been acceptable at times,” stated Brown, speaking at a BT Sport event.

“There have been a lot of errors. They have conceded a lot of silly goals. The goal they conceded in Istanbul when there wasn’t a defender in sight, it wasn’t good enough. There was a lack of communication there.

“They have let in really weak goals at times and a lot of it has come down to individual errors and at a club like Manchester United, it’s not good enough.

Bruno hailed

“Consistency is the issue at the moment. They are up and down too much. On any given day, when they are at their best, they are capable of beating most teams.

“Their home form in the league hasn’t been acceptable at times, but I think they have made some progress under Ole.

“From where he was a month ago to where he is now, we are more comfortable, but we need to get to a point where the consistency is there. After Christmas, you start to know where you are in the league and he will be judged then.”

While United’s defence has been struggling, talisman Burno Fernandes has been leading the way with goals and man of the match performances aplenty and Brown is impressed by the contribution of the Portuguese international.

“The consistency he has shown has been frightening,” he added. “His stats are there. He scores, he gets assists, he gives a drive to the team we have been missing. He is just an excellent footballer.

“Some players struggle to deal with expectations when they join a club like Manchester United, but Fernandes has thrived.”

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