Was Neville right to call out Man Utd for a 'lack of effort'?

"I've watched Manchester United since the age of five and that's the worst 15 minutes I've ever seen. Absolutely pathetic." Gary Neville did not hold back in his criticism of the Manchester United's performance during media' coverage of Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham. The players had just laboured through the opening period of the second half, culminating in a Lisandro Martinez own goal gifting the home side the lead. "I've never seen such a lack of effort," Neville added. "What must Michael Carrick be thinking?" Neville played 602 games for United over a 19-year career, winning everything the club game had to offer. So his criticism comes from a qualified position. This season's out-of-possession stats would appear to back it up too, with the Red Devils ranking 16th for distance covered, and 17th for total number of sprints. But does that tell the whole story? How did United play under Carrick when they were winning games towards the end of last season? And, as Neville makes the headlines, what does this say about his influence in the media around Manchester United? Can the stats establish whether effort claim has merit? United's dismal running and sprinting stats made for stark reading in the wake of Neville's criticism. After all, the former right-back had directly questioned a lack of effort, and referred to the players as "mannequins". He said United - and Fulham - were walking too much during the game. In the Premier League this season only four teams have covered less distance than the Red Devils, and just three teams have produced fewer sprints. It comes alongside United's joint-worst start to a Premier League season, with four points from five games. So is this down to the running and the effort? Let's take a look at the second half of last season, after Carrick had been appointed as manager. Between 17 January and the end of the season, United picked up more points than any other team - 39 points from 17 games. Yet only four teams ran less than United, and only two clubs had fewer sprints. There is no material difference in the running stats, but United were returning 2.29 points per game compared to the 0.8 this season. Something is clearly different, but it does not appear to be linked to this particular stat because barely anything has changed - apart from the results. Maybe this United squad simply does not have runners. Then there is the comparison to rival teams. Manchester City have won all five Premier League matches, but have covered less distance than United. Enzo Maresca's squad have also recorded the lowest number of sprints in the division. Brighton, one of the most exciting teams in the league this season and the top goalscorers, are one place above United for sprints. Maybe United's problem is tactical rather than a simple case of not running enough? The amplification of Manchester United criticism Neville setting the media agenda when it comes to United is not a new thing. The former England international has called out the team's shortcomings on many occasions. Look back to December 2021, and a poor first-half performance against a struggling Newcastle side which saw Ralf Rangnick's side trail 1-0 at the break. "They're a bunch of whinge-bags," Neville said at half-time on media. "I'll not go into names but they're whinging at each other, arms up in the air complaining about everything. "There's no pressing, no urgency, the basics of the game." Edinson Cavani rescued a point at St James Park, but Neville's comments had already made the headlines. You only need to look at how the post-match coverage went after the Fulham draw. Neville's remarks were put to Carrick at full-time. The United manager said fitness levels of his players were not an issue . But the die was cast. "Neville: That was the worst ever", read the back page of Monday's Daily media. "15 minutes of shame", was the lead for the sports section of the Daily Star. "United boss keeps calm after Neville Ful blast," said the Daily Express. It was picked up across online media, and discussed at length on radio talk shows - including across the broadcaster, as evidenced by this piece. When Neville criticises his former club, it carries weight. In January, with Ruben Amorim under pressure for poor results, the Portuguese said that "if people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles and the criticisms of everything, we need to change the club". Amorim was dismissed the following day . There always se