Gary Neville has slammed 'tone deaf' Manchester United players for going on a 'global tour' following their exit from the Champions League last week.
United were dumped out of Europe by Atletico Madrid last Tuesday night, but were given time off after the defeat because they had no other matches to play ahead of the international break. Ralf Rangnick's side were due to face Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, but the match was rearranged after the Merseysiders' success in the FA Cup — another competition United had already been knocked out of.
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With no matches to play, a number of first-team members made appearances on social media enjoying their time off, while interim manager Rangnick travelled to Barbados to watch England play cricket, and co-owner Avram Glazer was spotted at the Bahrain Grand Prix. While former defender Neville appreciates that players have a life away from football, he took to social media to slam those who had seemingly boasted about their recent excursions.
Neville tweeted: "I remember a time when United players, managers, executives wouldn’t be seen in their local Italian after a draw at home let alone getting knocked out of Europe. This last week we’ve seen a global tour of F1 , Concerts, Cricket and UFC events. This lot are Tone Deaf!
One social media user challenged his criticism by asking: "These players are human beings, do you expect them to stay in their houses in isolation? Expect better from someone who was a player for all those years," but Neville doubled-down in his assessment, adding: "I expect them to adapt to circumstances and go on holiday but quietly!"
In response to another message, Neville once again questioned the manner in which players had documented their downtime after a season of failure: "They are [allowed lives outside of football]. They can go on holiday, relax, take time off. However, if you've been knocked out of the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and floundering in the league I wouldn't think it's too much to ask to lie low a bit."
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