Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has hit out at United’s back line, stating that they must improve their performances under Louis Van Gaal.
“When you are with England and you work with the likes of Smalling or Jones, you hope that a manager comes in and grabs them, plays them, trusts and puts belief in them,” he said.
“So when David [Moyes] came in last season we thought that would be good news because David likes British players.
“This season Louis van Gaal has come in. A great coach and someone that worked all over Europe. He’ll get them good on the ball, good defensively, in good positions to receive the ball, opening their body out and passing forward with composure.”
Neville coaches Smalling and Jones for England but also coaches youngster Luke Shaw and says that Shaw has been perfect this season.
“For Luke [Shaw] it’s perfect. The manager believes in attacking full-backs and Luke is fantastic going forward. Luke is powerful, quick and hugely talent. Then you want to get a grip on him and mould him into a world-class player.
“Then with the likes of Smalling, Jones and Evans we still have great hopes for that penny to drop. If you remember for many years we had players that potentially had it. Darren Fletcher all of a sudden became the most important person in the team for a few seasons. It was like ‘wow, here we go, he’s a player now’.
“Cristiano took two or three seasons and the penny dropped. People have got to remember the frustrating Cristiano to appreciate the great one.
“Aaron Ramsey at Arsenal is another example. You lose a bit of patience at times but you know they have the talent inside them and you think they’ve got the brain and willingness to do it. They’re still developing and picking up injuries but when they stop and the penny drops you think ‘we’ve lived with his faults, development and now we’re getting the benefit of it.’
“There is no doubt that Jones, Smalling and Shaw have talent but they need experience, maturity and injuries to stay clear and they will fly.”
Written by Connor Breen
@Connor_breen12