Just Pictures

Former Manchester United winger Nani says there are not enough leaders in the current squad.

This is something fans have discussed for some time and it was highlighted again recently when former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed that several players previously turned down the captaincy role.

Furthermore, the fans have been subjected to abysmal performances this season, and we can see that there’s a lack of leaders. There has also been a lot of injuries and Erik ten Hag is missing key players like Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw. Those injuries, along with Raphael Varane’s problematic track record in the treatment, have been a big blow for the manager.

United sit eight in the Premier League after a slow start to the season and we’ve been knocked out of the Carabao Cup. To make matters worse, we may not make it out of the Champions League group phase.

Former United winger Nani has been speaking to journalist Pedro Pinto about watching United nowadays. He said: “When you watch Manchester [United] play, you see there is no spirit of sacrifice, there isn’t that determination, there isn’t a player who says, ‘We have to win! We have to run with the ball and put it in the back of the net.”

Will eyes turn to Bruno Fernandes, if they haven’t already, since the players around him are crying out from leadership and that is one of his responsibilities as club captain.

United now face an uphill task to qualify for not only the knockout stages of the Champions League, but a top five finish will slip out of our hands unless there’s a drastic improvement on the pitch. The problem I have is I don’t see where the run of wins is going to come from.

Get the latest Manchester United news, opinion, interviews and exclusive features with the Stretty Newsletter – Ad Free! Kick off your afternoon with the Stretty News verdict on all matters Manchester United.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Mavericks ride 'Luka Magic' on both ends late to win Game 1
Panthers shut out Rangers 3-0 in Eastern Conference Final opener
NBA announces 2023-24 All-NBA teams
Star Padres infielder to miss significant time with shoulder injury
LeBron James, Charles Barkley passionately defend Caitlin Clark from 'petty' haters
Roger Goodell discusses factors for possible 18-game NFL season
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has intriguing comment on his contract situation
Celtics toying around with surprise Jayson Tatum move in conference finals
Former teammate warns Tee Higgins about pitfalls of playing on franchise tag
Watch: Timberwolves and Mavericks trade dunks in third quarter
Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner tempers expectations for Juan Soto extension
Canucks' Rick Tocchet wins 2024 Jack Adams Award
Incredible Orioles streak finally comes to end against Cardinals
Raiders QB shares surprising reason for switching jersey number
New Jersey Devils to hire just-fired head coach to lead bench
Latest announcements show how deep Knicks' injury issues ran
Veteran WR announces retirement after nine seasons
Eagles stars defend new DC following criticism
Steelers first-round pick still confident following 'rough' practice
Angel Reese pulls notable sports ownership move

Want more sports news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.