Bruno Fernandes has been told he is "surrounded by waste" at Manchester United, with too many players in the squad obsessed with social media.
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Ex-Man Utd player lays into current squadFernandes "surrounded by waste"Players more bothered by Instagram than trophiesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Gordon Strachan, who played for the Red Devils between 1984-89, believes the club lack leaders and that their players are "spreading Instagram" rather than "spreading a winning mentality". The former Scotland manager was also critical of 'Mission 21', a blueprint unveiled by the club's part owners INEOS for winning the Premier League title in the next three years.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
United have not won the Premier League since 2012-13 in Sir Alex Ferguson's final season in charge of the club. Their football operations are now run by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, but Strachan insists they are still a long way from achieving success, with team captain Fernandes deemed to be the only player upholding the club's core values.
WHAT STRACHAN SAID
Strachan told Genting Casino: "There are no players spreading a winning mentality. They've been spreading Instagram. I know what they're doing, I know what clothes they're wearing, I know what clubs they're at. I can see what boat they're on. But I don't see any Premier League or Champions League medals. United probably have a few people, good ones like Fernandes, who's not the perfect captain but a good player, and he's surrounded by this waste. For so many of them, it’s just been good enough to be a Man United player. That has to change. ‘Mission 21’ a load of mumbo jumbo. It's just a load of old nonsense, this kind of stuff. It’s marketing speak. Football fans, United fans, want to see a group of players that give everything for the badge, that want can compete on the pitch. These statements are meaningless."
Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?
United are competing to finish in the top half of the Premier League table this season, having fallen way off the European qualification pace. They sit 13th and five points off 10th-place Brighton heading into Sunday's visit to Tottenham.
