Manchester United's Champions League qualification for next season took yet another blow on Saturday after being beaten 1-0 by Everton.
Toffees winger Anthony Gordon netted the only goal of the game, as his deflected effort found a way past David de Gea to seal a vital three points in their quest to avoid relegation. Frank Lampard's side showed far more hunger, desire and willingness to scoop maximum points, leaving United to reflect on another dismal performance.
That defeat on Merseyside means that United have now won just one of their last seven games in all competitions. Five of those have been in the Premier League — meaning that their top-four hopes now hang by a thread.
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Furthermore, the defeat to Everton means that United have won just eight of their 17 Premier League games under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, suggesting that the players have struggled to adapt to his methods. But considering they had started to falter under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer towards the end of his tenure and failed to pull up any trees under Jose Mourinho before that, it suggests the bulk of the blame lies with members of the squad.
And with the way things have developed under Rangnick in recent weeks, it suggests former United captain Roy Keane was bang on the money with his prediction. That is because the Sky Sports pundit, following Solskjaer's sacking, suggested that United's players would not change under a new manager, insisting "leopards don't change their spots."
"They're not working as hard as the three teams at the top," Keane told Sky Sports, speaking back in November, referencing Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. "United players have stopped running the last couple of months.
"It's difficult for players when a manager's lost his job, they have to take responsibility, but these players don't. Leopards don't change their spots.
"Man United have talented players, particularly in possession, but the game is also about when you're out of possession. These players don't run, they don't sprint, they don't close down, they don't work as a team.
"They're almost just depending on their talent, which is coming up short as well. I don't know what's going on on the training pitch, but the signs are that this United group don't work hard enough.
"They don't seem like good enough lads to me in terms of leadership. I keep saying it, but that's what you need in difficult spells. These lads have done what I predicted and they've thrown him [Solskjaer] under the bus, that's what they do."
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