Wolves coach Bruno Lage casually and clinically detailed how his team exploited Manchester United's incoherent pressing to outsmart them in Monday's 1-0 win.

United were dominated for large periods by Lage's visitors on Monday, before 35-year-old Joao Moutinho became the oldest visiting player to score a winning Premier League goal at Old Trafford to condemn Ralf Rangnick to the first loss of his reign.

But from United's perspective, it was the manner of the defeat that was so perplexing – while the Red Devils were only marginally beaten in terms of expected goals (0.83 to 0.79), Wolves' greater control and incisiveness allowed them 19 shots to nine, their six on target being three times as many as Rangnick's team.

Arguably just as important as United's ineffectiveness in attack was their lack of cohesion off the ball, with Lage seemingly predicting how the hosts would try to press.

Since Rangnick's appointment there has been much focus on United's style of play when not in possession, though prior to Monday's defeat their high turnover frequency has remained practically the same as it was under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick, improving fractionally to 7.75 per game from 7.57.

Generally they are no more effective in this regard than before and, against Wolves, there was precious little coordination from those in attack when looking to win the ball back, with Mason Greenwood, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho engaging in just three tackle attempts between them.

Wolves' setup seemed to play into that.

"It's not about [exploiting] weakness," Lage told Sky Sports. "We try to understand the spaces they will give. The way they press, we prepared to try and understand, when we have the ball we try to understand which men will be free.

"It can be whoever is free, one of the centre-backs free, or if they come and press three against three like they did with Cavani, the spaces will be outside.

"That's why today we try to find Nelson Semedo and Marcal, and they come inside to play and then we play against six men: the defensive line and the two midfielders.

"When we arrive there it's important to keep the ball, get the opponent running. Top teams, sometimes they have more problems when they don't have the ball. If you spend more time with the ball, we will find our space and create chances.

"Manchester United changed their system a bit, but when you look in the end the way we pressed, controlled the game, the chances we created, we deserved the three points.

"When you are in the game you don't think about [conceding], we had that chance with [Romain] Saiss when he hit the bar, it was balanced.

"This is football, sometimes we have games like the first Manchester United game at home we create a lot of chances, we had one chance with Saiss in the corner and we miss and after that they score.

"I'm thinking of trying to win the game, that's why I put Fabio Silva in the game because at that moment I felt we could win the game. We played with a big personality, we created more chances than them, we had more of the ball than them, we deserved to win."

Ralf Rangnick is demanding improvement from Manchester United as he acknowledged deserved victors Wolves were the best team his side have faced.

United were dominated for large periods by Bruno Lage's visitors on Monday, before 35-year-old Joao Moutinho became the oldest visiting player to score a winning Premier League goal at Old Trafford to condemn Ralf Rangnick to the first loss of his reign.

Wolves' first away league win against United since February 1980, ending a 10-game winless run in the stadium, leaves them just three points behind the seventh-placed Red Devils.

United have failed to score in four different top-flight home games this season, already more than they did in the whole of 2020-21 (three), and Rangnick was disappointed with his team's quality up top as he praised Lage's side.

He told Sky Sports: "We didn't play well at all individually or collectively. In the first half, we had big problems keeping them away from our goal.

"The goal we conceded, we had enough players in the box. The cross had been defended by [Phil] Jones but the goal we conceded was like too many this season.

"Moutinho could shoot unmarked with no problems, no pressure. We're very disappointed about the result and parts of our performance.

"We decided to change our formation and we had more control – they didn't have as many chances, but we missed our chances and we have to admit they deserved to win. Wolves were the best team we've played. We have more problems today than in other games."

Rangnick arrived in Manchester with a reputation for his 'gegenpressing' style, but he was left disappointed by United's off-the-ball intensity all over the pitch. 

"We didn't press at all," he added. "We tried but we were not able to get into those pressing situations. They had an overload in midfield and they played via their wing-backs. 

"We've been only working two and a half or three weeks after needing to close the training centre. We had the results. At times we played well but today we have to admit they're better than us.

"The game showed we still have a lot of work to do. We had too many unforced errors. I don’t want to speak about individual performances of players. It's an issue of the whole team. It doesn't make sense [to talk about individuals].

"We have to see each individual game. So far we had 10 out of 12 points. Today we had our first defeat against a good team. They don't score that many goals but they scored the only goal [and] the question was who will score the first goal."

The defeat leaves United four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, whom they boast a game in hand over, with their next league fixture coming against Aston Villa on January 15.

Joao Moutinho's late strike downed an insipid Manchester United as Wolves recorded a 1-0 win in the Premier League on Monday.

Wolves had not played since December 19 due to COVID-19 issues but dominated the opening proceedings at Old Trafford, United only holding on thanks to David de Gea repeatedly thwarting Bruno Lage's side.

Substitute Bruno Fernandes and Roman Saiss traded second-half strikes against the woodwork, either side of Cristiano Ronaldo – stand-in captain in the absence of Harry Maguire – seeing a goal ruled out for offside.

Moutinho then struck with eight minutes remaining to condemn Ralf Rangnick to his first defeat in charge of the Red Devils, who sit seventh in the league – four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

Wolves had not scored in their last 13 league games against United, dating back to 2004, but pinned back Rangnick's languid side for much of the first half.

Daniel Podence twice forced smart stops from De Gea, while the Spain international produced an expert save to tip over Ruben Neves' thunderous volley as Lage's side headed in at the break with nothing to show for their efforts.

United picked up the pace after the interval, Fernandes slamming onto the crossbar following Nemanja Matic's cross before teeing up Ronaldo's header past Jose Sa, which was disallowed for offside.

Saiss curled a free-kick against the woodwork, with Moutinho then delivering the decisive strike as he fired into the bottom-left corner. 

Jose Sa kept out Fernandes' stoppage-time free-kick as Lage's side played out an eighth straight league game with less than one goal scored in it.

Phil Jones will make his first Premier League start in two years for Manchester United, while Bruno Fernandes was left on the bench for the visit of Wolves.

Jones last started a top-flight game against Burnley in January 2020 but injury issues with Harry Maguire and Eric Bailly, along with COVID-19 complications for Victor Lindelof, have left United short-handed in defence.

The 712 days between games for Jones is the longest gap any player who has not left the club - including loan spells - has had between appearances for the Red Devils in the competition.

The former Blackburn defender, who missed the entire 2020-21 season, has been an unused substitute in five league games this campaign, though he will join Raphael Varane at the back on Monday.

Further forward, Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood will operate in behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani, meaning Fernandes is left among the substitutes for the clash with Bruno Lage's side.

The Portugal international was absent from the 3-1 win over Burnley last Thursday due to suspension, after he and compatriot Ronaldo came into criticism from Sky pundit Gary Neville for their body language during a disappointing 1-1 draw at Newcastle.

Fernandes was an integral figure in propelling United to Champions League qualification last campaign as he netted 28 times in all competitions. 

That was the best return by a midfielder for a Premier League club in a single campaign, surpassing Frank Lampard's 27 for Chelsea in 2009-10, but he has failed to hit those lofty heights this term with five top-flight goals to his name so far.

Wolves make two changes as Francisco Trincao and Nelson Semedo come into the starting line-up, while Adama Traore starts on the bench for the visitors.

TEAMS

Manchester United: David de Gea, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Phil Jones, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo. Subs: Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, Fred, Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Dalot, Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Elanga.

Wolves: Jose Sa, Max Kilman, Conor Coady, Romain Saiss, Nelson Semedo, Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Marcal, Francisco Trincao, Raul Jimenez, Daniel Podence. Subs: Ki-Jana Hoever, Rayan Ait Nouri, Bruno Jordao, Fabio Silva, John Ruddy, Leander Dendoncker, Adama Traore, Luke Cundle, Hugo Bueno.

Reggae Boyz midfielder Ravel Morrison has hit back at comments made by Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick about Premier League teams participating in the Carabao Cup.

The current Derby County and former Manchester United player was reacting to Rangnick’s comments calling for Premier League clubs to step back from involvement in the competition.

Rangnick made the comments in a pre-match press conference looking ahead to his team’s Premier League Clash with Newcastle United on December 27, 2021 at St James’ Park.

“England is the only country again in the top five leagues in Europe that plays two cup competitions. In France, they abolished the second one two or three years ago. This is something that we could speak about and discuss,” Rangnick said.

His comments came after a number of Premier League managers expressed concerns about fixtures piling up and the turnaround between matches becoming shorter and shorter.

Manchester United exited the Carabao Cup in the third round after a 1-0 loss to West Ham, team of Reggae Boy Michail Antonio.

Morrison disagrees, citing the competition as an opportunity for youngsters to gain experience and exposure that they wouldn’t normally get in the Premier League to make a name for themselves.

“It’s a good cup for the younger generation to get their chance and shine,” Morrison wrote on Twitter.

Morrison has so far played six matches for the Reggae Boyz.

Morrison's Derby County are currently at the bottom of the table in the EFL Championship with 10 points from their 25 matches.

Ralf Rangnick says Edinson Cavani will "definitely" not be allowed to leave Manchester United during the January transfer window.

Cavani has only started three games for the Red Devils this season, but came into the side for the Premier League defeat of Burnley last Thursday after his strike at Newcastle United rescued a 1-1 draw.

The Uruguay striker has been linked with the likes of Barcelona and Juventus, having become frustrated with a lack of opportunities at Old Trafford.

But interim boss Rangnick has told Cavani, who is under contract until the end of June, he wants him to stay at United. 

"He knows that I will definitely not let him go," said the German.

He added: "I told him from the very first day that, for me, he is a highly important player. He is probably the only one who can play as a striker back to goal and face to goal.

"And, as I said, his professionalism, his work ethic is just amazing and I told him that I desperately want him to stay until the end of the season. He knows that. He also knows how highly I rate him and how highly I respect him.

"We will definitely need Edi. I would rather have another Edi on top of that but for me it's clear that Edi has to stay."

One player who is expected to be on his way out of United is Anthony Martial, who has told the club he wants to leave.

Sevilla are reported to have had a loan offer for the forward rejected and Rangnick says he will only be allowed to move if the deal is right for all parties.

"He made it very clear that he wants to leave and, in a way, I can understand his wish to leave and to try to play more regularly somewhere else," Rangnick said.

"But, again, it's a question not only of what he wants to do but it's also a question of which kind of clubs are interested in him and do they meet the demands of the club, so we have to wait and see."

United will look to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches when they entertain Wolves in the Premier League on Monday.

Louis Saha dreams of Manchester United appointing Zinedine Zidane but insisted the club's players must respect whichever manager is in place if they are to succeed.

United have underwhelmed in the first half of the Premier League season, sitting in seventh under the interim management of Ralf Rangnick after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Former RB Leipzig coach Rangnick has overseen three wins and a draw in his opening four league games, but is only in temporary charge until the end of the season when the potential for a two-year consultancy role will come into play.

United have already confirmed they will seek out a long-term replacement at the end of the season, which could still end up being the German manager, with the likes of Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino being proposed by many as the leading candidates.

Saha placed his backing in fellow Frenchman Zidane, who has been without a club since leaving Real Madrid last May, as the former United striker outlined the sort of appointment he believes the club requires.

He told Stats Perform: "I feel like anyone who has proved in some way in some capacity, I think Pochettino is one of them.

"But anyone who has proved that you can build a team and make them improve in a way to win the Premier League as [Jurgen] Klopp has done, I think will have the job.

"We need to have the right manager who is able to really give that boost. We've seen this with Ralf on the touchline, that kind of energy, those guys, especially when you have three-quarters of the squad that is quite young – you need to have someone with that kind of energy. 

"I don't want to put Pochettino above anyone. In my dream, I think about Zidane. There are definitely good names that I've heard in the last few weeks. 

"But yes, those are names and the most important is the fit where there is a project. Whoever is coming is not coming for two years because you want to attach his name to a big club."

Saha knows what it takes to win at Old Trafford, given he collected two Premier League titles and a Champions League triumph during his time in Manchester under Alex Ferguson between 2004 and 2008.

Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo are two of United's key figures this campaign, but the pair were labelled as "whingebags" negatively influencing their team by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville following a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.

Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes quashed any talk of discontent within the Red Devils dressing room as he stated his client's happiness on Friday and Saha believes United's managerial success will be built on respect.

"The formula I've seen that works is because you show respect and you have a very strong man-management," he added. "Ferguson at the time when I've seen that he had so many challenges because you get so much ego in the team. 

"People with a lot of trophies like Roy Keane, like Gary Neville, [Paul] Scholes or [Ruud] van Nistelrooy and you have the youth come in and have that sense of urgency, they want to win, they want to play and all those things. 

"You have to really show as much respect as strength and at the same time, humility. It's a very odd combination, but it's very important you have to really show that you are confident, strong.

"You need the support of everybody because the project is a team thing. So those are the ways to manage because everyone will give them respect. If you miss this thing. You're in trouble."

Asked whether Saha thought that was United's current problem with leadership, he responded: "Yeah, definitely. That's not a problem about talent. That's not a problem about not winning. 

"They want to win, but they don't have the formula, the people around who give them the right indication."

Ralf Rangnick insisted Manchester United must develop as a "whole team", adding that a partnership between Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes was not his priority.

Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford in early September and has since netted 14 goals across all competitions as he leads the Premier League and Champions League scoring charts.

The 36-year-old found the net and assisted another in a comfortable 3-1 win over Burnley that moved United up to sixth on Thursday – the forward registering double figures for goal involvements in a 17th consecutive league season.

But there have been questions about whether Ronaldo and compatriot Fernandes, who missed the Burnley game through suspension, can fit into the same team together and work effectively.

Former United captain Gary Neville aimed criticism at the pair following a disappointing 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Monday, labelling the duo as "whingebags" who were having a "devastating" impact on United's underwhelming season thus far.

Rangnick previously commented on the body language of United players in the slender win over Norwich City, while he has also insisted that the Red Devils will not solely rely on the Portugal pair.

"Against Burnley, we had to play without Bruno and again we did well, we played with two strikers, two wingers, two number sixes, every player in his best possible position," he told Sky Sports.

"This is another thing we are trying to achieve, no matter which formation we are trying to play we have every player in his best possible position.

"So it is not only about the partnership between Cristiano and Bruno, it is about partnerships between other players.

"Yesterday [Thursday] it was about a partnership between Edinson [Cavani] and Cristiano and it worked well. Edinson was the player with the highest distance [covered] in the whole team.

"Since we will change the team and starting line-up every game it is about different partnerships and developing the whole team.

"They should play with the same mindset and principles when we are in possession of the ball or when the other team is in possession."

Fernandes was an integral figure in propelling United to Champions League qualification last campaign as he netted 28 times for United in all competitions. 

That was the best return by a midfielder for a Premier League club in a single campaign, surpassing Frank Lampard's 27 for Chelsea in 2009-10, but he has failed to hit those lofty heights this term with five top-flight goals to his name so far.

Whether Fernandes comes back into the team for the visit of Wolves on January 3 remains unclear, but Rangnick is aware that man-management will be key to his success in Manchester.

He added: "This is always about man management, having a good relationship with the players. But also be aware that you're the one to take the decisions.

"Who is going to play, who will be substituted, who will be on the bench or possibly not even make it into the squad for the next game."

United spent heavily in the last transfer window, bringing in Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho, though that does not necessarily rule out further transfer activity in January.

Anthony Martial has also stated his desire to seek new pastures away from United, but Rangnick believes it is too soon to start thinking about potential signings and departures with an abundance of first-team players to choose from already.

"[It's] too early now," he responded when asked about transfer dealings in the new year. "The current squad is big enough, with a lot of competition in the squad.

"To speak about future players coming into the club doesn't make sense at this stage when we have to find out which player is in which position, the best possible solution for every game.

"Right now for me, it doesn't make sense to think about future players. My full focus is on the current squad and to find for each game the best possible formation and line-up."

Ralf Rangnick said he is focusing on his current squad rather than potential signings in the January transfer window after his Manchester United side beat Burnley 3-1 at Old Trafford in the final Premier League game of 2021.

Goals from Scott McTominay, a Ben Mee own goal and Cristiano Ronaldo were enough to seal victory on Thursday evening, despite an Aaron Lennon strike pulling one back for the visitors.

After the game, the United interim manager was asked whether he will consider making additions in January. 

"My focus is on the current players. We have enough players in the squad, so there is no lack of number of players," Rangnick told Amazon Prime Sport.

"Transfers in the winter only make sense if they really help you, if they increase the quality, and so far we haven't spoken about that. My focus in the last couple of weeks was on the current squad."

The Red Devils scored all three of their goals in the first 35 minutes against the Clarets, having not scored more than once in any of Rangnick's first four games in charge.

The former RB Leipzig boss was pleased with his team's efforts, feeling that the collective performance was better than it had been previously.

"As expected it was a very tough physical game against a team who play very physical," he added. "We also showed the qualities we have in our team. It was important today to raise the energy level.

"The whole team performance was a lot better, I was pleased with the performances of our wingers. Jadon [Sancho] did well and Mason [Greenwood]. Eddie [Cavani] and Cristiano, the work effort was amazing."

Rangnick was asked about targets for the rest of the season, with United now in sixth place in the Premier League, level on points with West Ham in fifth, and four behind fourth-placed Arsenal, with a game in hand on both.

"I wouldn't say fourth is the minimum," he said. "It is about taking next development steps. Now eight games in a row without a defeat. It is about taking next steps."

Ralf Rangnick is not getting carried away over the shakiness displayed by Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire in the draw with Newcastle United, adamant Manchester United are underperforming as a team not just at centre-back.

United's 1-1 stalemate at Newcastle on Monday was their first game in 16 days after a coronavirus outbreak forced the postponement of matches against Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion.

As such, perhaps it was not a surprise to see United look rusty at St James' Park, but for much of the game they were second best against a side with just one Premier League win all season and the joint-worst defence (42 conceded) in the division.

While United did ultimately come out on top in terms of expected goals (xG), their 1.52 slightly better than Newcastle's 1.25, Rangnick's side were let off the hook by a bad miss from Allan Saint-Maximin at the start of the second half that would have put the Magpies 2-0 up.

Similarly, eight of Newcastle's 13 shots were on target, meaning David de Gea had to make seven saves – five more than his counterpart, Martin Dubravka – to keep United in the game.

That has been something of a common theme this season, with United especially poor at the back – only six teams have a worse xG against (25.9) record than them, while De Gea has prevented 3.9 goals, which is the third-best in the Premier League, according to Opta.

Maguire – underwhelming for much of this season – and Varane – at fault in the build-up to Newcastle's goal – bore much criticism on Monday, but Rangnick is looking beyond just them.

Asked about concerns over the two defenders' partnership, Rangnick told reporters: "Rapha hasn't played for the last five, six weeks, and even before the Tottenham game, he was injured.

"So, in total in the last three months, he hasn't played that many games. Yes, he made a mistake before the first goal that we conceded, but apart from that, I think he was okay.

"I wouldn't say that he was outstanding, and the same with Harry, but they did okay. Our problem was, again, that we allowed too many transitional moments.

"And this is not only a problem at the centre of the defence, it's a problem of the whole team and it starts up front, and we can speak also about the role of the number 10s in that kind of formation.

"So, I don't think it makes sense to speak about the individual performance of players, we need to get better as a team."

Although United have been defensively poor in recent months, keeping just one clean sheet in their past 13 home league games and conceding 22 goals, that last solitary shutout did come in their last outing at Old Trafford.

That was Rangnick's first game in charge, the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, while United's visitors on Thursday – Burnley – have not scored in three.

Since that defeat of Palace, Rangnick freely admits he has not been happy with the team's progress, though he feels the lack of training caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has certainly had an impact.

Quizzed on whether he was happy with United's performances, Rangnick continued: "Of course not.

"Every coach, every ambitious coach, and there's no difference between other coaches and myself in that area, wants to take faster steps and larger steps forward.

"But in order to do that, you need to be able to train and, as you know, we had to close Carrington for four days. Before that we had eight or nine field players in training, so directly after the Norwich City game, and they only came back in small bits and pieces.

"So, the last three days [before Newcastle], we were almost back to full strength with regards to the size of the squad, but we couldn't do that much in training.

"On the other hand, in those two-three training sessions, the team looked good, and therefore it was really a bit of a negative surprise [in the Newcastle game] the way that we played with regard to game speed and game tempo and physicality."

Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick brushed off criticism of his players' body language instead insisting their problem was physicality in Monday's 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.

United needed substitute Edinson Cavani's 71st-minute strike to earn a point away to the struggling Magpies who went ahead early from Allan Saint-Maximin.

Former United defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was scathing of the side's performance but also the "whinging" body language of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes' specifically.

But the German boss brushed off that criticism, calling it a "side effect" from other issues.

"I don’t think today it was a problem of body language," Rangnick said during the post-game news conference. "It was a question of physicality, meeting the demands with regard to speed, tempo and physicality.

"The side effect is the body language afterwards. I don’t think that was the major problem for us today.

"The major problem was the way we played in those moments when it was about physicality."

Neville was forthright in his criticism of the Portuguese pair in particular, insisting more is needed from the side's senior and better players.

"Yeah, it's annoyed me for about two months," Neville said on Sky Sports. "Your best players in your team, it's devastating when those players are giving that look and body language towards the other ones. They have to help them and be the father and the grandparent in the team.

"I made massive mistakes as a young player at Manchester United but had good senior players who would have a go at me, but they would also put their arm around me and help me and I don't get the feeling that's happening.

"I think there's something wrong in there. Bruno's whingeing all the time. You've got to be there when your team-mates need you in the most difficult moments."

Rangnick also refused to use United's recent COVID-19 outbreak as an excuse, which saw two games postponed and the side not play since the 1-0 win over Norwich City on December 11.

 "It’s also a question of rhythm, but we shouldn't look for excuses - we need to get better and get more physical and more precise when we’re in possession of the ball," Rangnick said.

"I was not happy with our performance with the ball or when we had to press and counter-press. It’s about sprinting, about energy and what kind of energy mode do we play with the ball and against the ball.

"In three days, we have the next game at home against Burnley and then another, four days later, when we play Wolves at home, so both games are in our own stadium.

"We can do better, I know the players can play better than we did today, but we have to do it and sustainably do it on the pitch in those two home games if we want to get the points."

Gary Neville described the attitude of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes as "devastating" to the Manchester United cause as he attacked the "whingebags" in the Red Devils' ranks.

Former United captain Neville was smarting about the performance from Ralf Rangnick's team in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United, where it took a second-half equaliser from Edinson Cavani to salvage a point.

Analysing the game for Sky Sports, Neville first took aim at half-time and saw little evidence of significant improvement after the break, describing the central defensive partnership of Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane as "absolutely atrocious".

"They're whingeing at each other. They're a bunch of whingebags," said Neville as he assessed United at the break. "I'm not going to go into the names, but honestly, they're whingeing at each other, their arms are up in the air, they're complaining about everything.

"They got the last manager the sack and Ralf Rangnick's not going to get the sack – he's only had two or three weeks with them – but they'll get a lot of managers the sack, that lot, if they carry on like that, because that is a really, really poor performance."

Neville stepped up his criticism after the full-time whistle. When asked if he was particularly concerned by whingeing from Ronaldo and Fernandes, Neville said: "Yeah, it's annoyed me for about two months.

"Your best players in your team, it's devastating when those players are giving that look and body language towards the other ones. They have to help them and be the father and the grandparent in the team.

"I made massive mistakes as a young player at Manchester United but had good senior players who would have a go at me, but they would also put their arm around me and help me and I don't get the feeling that's happening.

"I think there's something wrong in there. Bruno's whingeing all the time.You've got to be there when your team-mates need you in the most difficult moments."

Neville turned his focus to Ronaldo, who had a poor game at Newcastle and was witnessed dashing down the tunnel at full-time, without going over to thank travelling United supporters.

The Portuguese could easily have been sent off for a wild challenge on Ryan Fraser in the second half, as his frustration began to show.

Ronaldo and Neville are former United team-mates, and Neville said: "I love that lad, he's the best player I've ever seen in my life almost, but don't run off at the end of the game. I'm not having that."

Neville added: "They're all at each other. They're not helping each other. The spirit of a dressing room is really important. I don't think they're all with each other at this moment in time. I think there's a bit of a leadership struggle going on."

For Newcastle's seventh-minute opening goal, Varane was dispossessed by Sean Longstaff before Maguire was skilfully sidestepped by scorer Allan Saint-Maximin.

"The two centre-backs for Manchester United tonight were absolutely atrocious, from the very first minute to the last. They were nervous, they looked like they weren't sure," Neville said. "Maguire's having a nightmare season."

It was chiefly Cavani who gave Neville any encouragement, with the veteran Uruguayan striker making his presence felt in Newcastle's penalty area, unlike so many team-mates.

"I always feel better when he's in the team," said Neville. "He looks like the badge doesn't sit too heavily on him.

"I don't think he wilts in the presence of Ronaldo or Fernandes. I think he stands up to them. I think he helps the other younger players on the pitch and I think he needs to be on the pitch because they need to get rid of that whingeing attitude."

Ralf Rangnick told his Manchester United players their effort in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United was not up to scratch.

The interim manager was rattled by a sloppy performance from the visitors to St James' Park, who fell behind to an early Allan Saint-Maximin strike and needed Edinson Cavani to come off the bench to salvage a point.

United have swiftly fallen back into their bad old ways since the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sneaking a fortunate win in their last outing at Norwich City and being arguably fortunate to leave Tyneside with a point.

Former RB Leipzig boss Rangnick expected more from his players, and said of their performance: "I didn't like it at all.

"We were trying to get better in controlling games. Today we didn't control the game, apart from very few moments, at all."

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "In the end we got a point, that's the good thing, but the performance overall needs to get better."

Rangnick began his reign with a 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace that gave him cause for encouragement, but the performances against lowly Norwich and Newcastle have raised cause for concern.

"It's about physicality, it's about energy. We have to be ready and able to win those direct duels and this was not that often the case," he said.

"Even when we were in possession we had too many giveaways, including the goal that we conceded."

Pundit and United great Gary Neville questioned the communication between United's players, but Rangnick said: "Today it was not a question of body language, it was question of body physicality.

"If you want to be competitive here in this ground against Newcastle you have to play physical, and this was not the case in many parts of the game, and therefore we were struggling."

There may be attitude issues that need to be looked at, yet Rangnick said: "I don't think this was our biggest problem today. Our biggest problem was the mistakes we made, the unforced errors."

He spoke of "wrong decisions" and said it was necessary to bring on Cavani for the start of the second half as United "had to take more risks".

"We shouldn't look for excuses," said Rangnick, whose side had two games postponed recently due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

"We need to get more physical and more precise when we're in possession. Today I was not happy with our performance, no matter if we were in possession of the ball or when we had to press and counter press.

"It's about sprinting, it's about energy. The good thing today is we came back and got the equaliser."

Victor Lindelof has become the latest Manchester United player to be sidelined by a case of COVID-19, forcing him out of Monday's game at Newcastle United.

The Swedish centre-back did not make the trip to St James' Park after testing positive for the coronavirus.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick revealed the news shortly before kick-off when he named Raphael Varane to take over from Lindelof alongside captain Harry Maguire.

The situation affecting Lindelof is the latest COVID-19 blow to hit United, whose games against Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion had to be postponed due to an outbreak in Rangnick's squad.

After closing their Carrington training base briefly, it has reopened and United were able to prepare for the trip to Newcastle in near-normal conditions.

Rangnick told Sky Sports: "We resumed for training last Tuesday and, on Thursday, we had almost the whole team apart from Paul Pogba.

"Unfortunately, Victor Lindelof tested positive yesterday so he cannot play, but the good thing is we have Raphael Varane available again and that's why he's in the starting line-up.

"I would say since last Tuesday, and even more so since last Thursday, we had two or three training sessions on a very high, good level before we had to close down Carrington, as you know, for four days because, before that, we had only eight outfield players. In the last three or four days, we had some good training sessions."

Lindelof experienced breathing difficulties in United's 1-0 win at Norwich City on December 11 and was substituted in the second half as a consequence.

Former Real Madrid defender Varane came in for his first appearance since starting the Champions League game against Atalanta on November 2, a game in which he sustained a hamstring injury.

Ralf Rangnick says Anthony Martial's desire to leave Manchester United is "understandable".

Martial's playing time has been limited this season, with just four starts across all competitions and a further six substitute appearances totalling just 358 minutes.

Rangnick said the France international had expressed his desire to leave, and while he can see the player's point of view, he is not opposed to keeping Martial around to maintain the squad's depth.

"We spoke at length on Wednesday," Rangnick said reporters.

"He explained to me he's been at Manchester United now for the last seven years and he feels it's the right time for a change, to go somewhere else.

"I think in a way this is understandable, I could follow his thoughts but on the other hand, it's also important to see the situation of the club.

"We have Covid times, we have three competitions in which we still have high ambitions and want to be as successful as we can be."

Sevilla are reportedly among the clubs to have shown an interest in the forward, but Rangnick revealed that no formal offers have arrived for the 26-year-old.

"I told him, listen, as long as there is no club showing interest in him, and it should not only be in the interest of the player, it should also be in the interest of the club," Rangnick continued.

"So far, as far as I know, there has been no offer from any other club and as long as this is the case he will stay."

Should a move fail to materialise, Martial is likely to have to continue to bide his time on the bench, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Mason Greenwood, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Rangnick outlined his approach to the transfer window in which he seeks to balance the desires of an individual player with what is best for the club as a whole.

"If a player wants to leave because he feels he will not get enough game-time here with us then we can speak about that, but it's not only about what the player wants, it's also about the situation of the club," Rangnick said.

"Two things need to come together if a player wants to leave – one thing is if he wants to leave, but on the other hand, the needs of the club need to be satisfied."