Manchester City have badly exposed Manchester United's lack of leadership and cohesiveness, according to former Red Devils striker Teddy Sheringham.
United were comprehensively outplayed in Sunday's Manchester derby as Premier League leaders City ran riot at the Etihad.
Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez both scored twice to seal an emphatic 4-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s side, with Jadon Sancho’s first-half goal a rare bright moment for United in a one-sided match.
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Gary Neville labelled United’s second-half performance a “disgrace”, while his former team-mate Roy Keane called it “shameful”.
Sheringham has now accused some Manchester United players of “going through the motions” under interim boss Ralf Rangnick, with the club yet to appoint a permanent manager to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“I’ve played in dominant teams and I've also played in teams that have been fragmented, and I know how it feels to be on the receiving end and be in that situation where everybody’s not pulling in the same direction,” Sheringham told SPORTbible, on behalf of Lord Ping.
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“If you're not being led right as a football team, or your football tactics are not right in certain situations... it can look worse than what it is, because you're getting pulled and pushed into places where you don't want to go.
“Manchester City demand that of you. They know there's weaknesses at Manchester United at the moment and they are preying on those weaknesses. They’re making sure everyone sees that there's weaknesses at that football club.
“This is this is the mindset of Pep [Guardiola]. He’s a hunter. He knows that there's holes in this Manchester United team. Let's expose them. Let's show everyone how badly run this football club is, from top to bottom. Let’s show people how this game should be played as a unit. That's exactly what he's doing.
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“And it looks terrible [for United]. When things become hard for footballers, they don't always pull their weight. That's the situation that they're in because they look to the top and they think, well a new manager is coming in next season anyway, I'll do it then when the new manager comes in.
“That's the type of vibe that you're getting from Manchester United players at the moment.”
Rangnick was appointed as interim head coach at Old Trafford in November and is set to move into a consultancy role at the end of the season.
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United are currently searching for his replacement, with the club’s new director of football John Murtough confirming last week that a “thorough process” is underway.
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been strongly linked with the role, along with Ajax’s Erik ten Hag, and Sheringham would like to see the former Tottenham manager at Old Trafford.
“Just for the manner that he goes about focusing his football teams, I would have to say [Mauricio] Pochettino,” added Sheringham, who scored 46 goals in 153 games for United.
“I think he has a way of dominating the ball. Like Pep does at Manchester City. Manchester United fans demand that type of football to be played, they always have.
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“They don't just want to win.”
Defeat in the derby leaves United fifth in the Premier League - one point behind fourth-place Arsenal, who have played three games less.
Rangnick’s side next face Tottenham at Old Trafford on Saturday and Sheringham believes neither of his former teams can afford to lose if they are to finish in the top four this season, with Spurs currently seventh in the table.
When asked if the match was now a 'must-win' for both sides, Sheringham added: “Yes. Without a doubt.
“Manchester United need to win to get them back in a place to compete. I see the problems there and after that beating last night, they need a real pick-me-up.
“I hate to say it from a Tottenham point of view, but it's probably the perfect game [for United] because Manchester United beat Tottenham on a regular basis.
“Whether that will work this week I'm not so sure. But at the same time, Tottenham need to win as well.”
Up first for Spurs, however, is a home match against struggling Everton on Monday night and Sheringham says Antonio Conte’s side must bounce back quickly from their disappointing defeat to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup last time out.
“It’s a massive game against Everton, they [Tottenham] need to use their games in hand and turn them into points,” he added.
“They need to be catching Arsenal, who are looking very, very good recently. They're coming into good form at the right time.
“But Tottenham need to win tonight [against Everton] and on Saturday to have any chance of getting in that top four.”
Topics: Football, Manchester City, Manchester United, Pep Guardiola, Premier League, Spotlight
Rory O'Callaghan