Legends Scholes, Neville Slam Man Utd's lackluster show at West Ham
West Ham's Jarrod Bowen (C) scores during the English Premier League match against Manchester United, London, U.K., Dec. 23, 2023. (EPA Photo)


Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, former Manchester United players, voiced their dismay over their former club's performance following a 2-0 Premier League loss to West Ham United on Saturday under Erik ten Hag's management.

West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus scored second-half goals at the London Stadium, condemning United to their 13th defeat in all competitions. This marks their most losses at Christmas since 1930 when they were relegated from the top flight.

United, currently eighth in the standings and eight points off the top four, have struggled in front of goal, failing to score in four consecutive games in all competitions for the first time since the 1992-93 season.

They have only 18 league goals in as many matches, with only bottom-club Sheffield United having scored fewer. In their 18 league games, United have failed to score in seven.

"There is no threat to the team. This is a very patched-up team, you have to say," former midfielder Scholes told TNT Sports. "You spend a lot of money on players, expecting a lot more from them. It's not happening for (Marcus) Rashford either. The easiest thing to coach in football is defending, the hardest thing is to teach them how to score goals. That has to come from the players. It is seriously lacking. It's getting embarrassing; creativity is the big problem."

Ex-defender Neville criticized United's inconsistency, telling Sky Sports: "It doesn't surprise me at all. What we're seeing from this team, under any manager in the last seven or eight years, is pretty much the same. You can't trust them; they will let you down. They give you a glimmer of hope, and then they go and lose a game they shouldn't lose. We're watching an inconsistent bunch. Inconsistency is a really bad trait, in all walks of life."

United will host third-placed Aston Villa in a league clash on Tuesday.