Manchester United need to “get rid” of their inconsistency to alleviate the pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, says Gary Neville.
The Red Devils have endured an up and down start to the 2020-21 campaign since starting a week later than most of the Premier League clubs due to their involvement in the latter stages of last season’s Europa League.
A 3-1 defeat by Crystal Palace in their opening game was a prelude of what was to come at Old Trafford, with United yet to win at home in the league this season.
Defeats by north London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal sandwiched a 0-0 draw with Chelsea, with their away form a stark contrast after a 3-1 victory at Everton at the weekend made it three wins from three games on the road.
In the Champions League, United’s form has been similarly perplexing, with impressive wins over Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig followed by a shock 2-1 defeat away by Istanbul Basaksehir last week.
The setback in Turkey heightened the pressure on Solskjaer going into last Saturday’s trip to Everton and the scrutiny looked set to increase when Bernard gave the home side an early lead.
However, a Bruno Fernandes brace and a late goal from Edinson Cavani earned United a much-needed three points to move them up to 14th in a congested Premier League table.
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Former United captain Neville, though, believes that until the Red Devils can produce a consistent level of results and performances, the pressure will remain on Solskjaer.
He told The Gary Neville Podcast: “I was glued to the TV from 11.30am, thinking about the game, thinking about the previous week, and you just think: ‘We need a performance here, Ole needs a performance, the club need a performance, players need a performance’’.
“They go behind, and I think United deservedly came out on top in the end.
“They’re just so inconsistent. If you think about the last week, the performance against Leipzig, PSG, against Arsenal, in Turkey, they’ve got to get rid of that, it’s up and down.
“It’s a thing that will always put them under pressure as players and a manager. You need consistency, ultimately that’s what a champion needs to be, and at the moment they’re inconsistent.”
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