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BBC Radio 5 presenter, Mark Chapman, has lambasted Manchester United players’ reactions to the second goal they conceded versus West Ham.
The 20-times English champions lost their eighth Premier League game of the season in a convincing 0-2 loss to David Moyes’ West Ham.
It means United fans will be tucking into their Christmas dinner with their side sitting in eighth and with a goal difference of minus five. Yum.
It led to pundits such as Peter Schmeichel claiming he still doesn’t know what the supposed plan was against the Hammers.
Chapman however, took exception to one detail in particular.
According to The Daily Mail, the presenter “hit out at the United players while discussing the second goal with pundit Mark Warburton and the way they reacted to teenager Kobbie Mainoo who was at fault for the goal”.
Chapman stated, “I’m just watching the TV pictures of the aftermath, and he took it well did Kudus, but the ball was given away by Kobbie Mainoo, and that can happen to a young player, it just rolled under his foot”.
It seemed particularly unfortunate as youth products, Kobbie Mainoo and Willy Kambwala, were the only bright sparks of the defeat. The young French centre back was especially impressive on his first ever first team performance after being thrown into the deep end due to Raphael Varane’s injury.
Chapman went on to claim, “He’s (Mainoo) there biting his shirt, knowing that he’s the one who has made the mistake, and the player that goes up to him to give him a little tap and go ‘right, come on’ is Kambwala, the centre half who is 19 and is making his debut.
“Not one of the senior players, the young lad who is making his debut!’”
Warburton also agreed that the United players’ response would be of great concern for Erik ten Hag.
This is not the first time, nor most likely the last, this edition of Man United has been called out for a lack of leadership. Former player Paul Scholes was left baffled by the team’s inability to control itself in the 3-3 draw with Galatasaray last month that saw the Old Trafford side sacrifice a two goal lead twice in the game.
Moreover, Bruno Fernandes has also faced a barrage of criticism from pundits on his credentials as club captain.
Manchester United have a boatload of problems, but few are more pressing than the lack of leaders in the team. Yes, it is true that the club is suffering a huge number of injuries that has robbed the outfit of natural leaders like Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez.
However, there is no way a youngster like Kobbie Mainoo should be left to hang out and dry like that. It speaks volumes to the problems the club is suffering right now. If the club has any ambition to fight its way back to the top, incidents like this must come to an end.
Soccer2day 