WelbeckWhen I found out the team set to play against Leeds last weekend, I was very surprised. I knew that Sir Alex Ferguson wasn’t going to put out a team of Reserves, but I certainly didn’t expect as many first team players as there were. Every single player in that starting XI had started a Premiership game for us this season, which was showing an awful amount of respect to a Third Division side.

Our younger players didn’t give a good account of themselves, but it was the more experienced players that were really disappointing.

Ferguson has refused to criticise the younger players involved in the Leeds defeat, again expressing his shock at just how badly we played.

“You can’t blame young players,” said Ferguson. “The young players were looking for a bit of help in that game and didn’t get it. It was a bad team performance and I was shocked by it. I couldn’t believe that after all the preparation we had done for the game and explaining to the players how difficult it was going to be, we turned in a performance like that. It was a bad day but I am beyond that now.”

Sign up for the FREE RoM weekly newsletter.




------------
The RoM Manchester United 2024-25 season preview is now available. It includes articles from the country's best football writers about our expectations for the season ahead and our brightest talents, as well as proposed transfer business and which youth players to keep an eye out for. All profit goes to The Christie so please support this fantastic cause.