Neville labels Man Utd's draw with Wolves 'baddest of the bad'

Gary Neville has described Manchester United's display in their stalemate against struggling Wolves as "the baddest of the bad".

A victory at Old Trafford on Tuesday would have lifted United to fourth place in the Premier League, yet Wolves, who sit at the foot of the table with just two points from 18 matches, halted an 11-game losing streak by securing a 1-1 draw.

Although Amorim's side suffered elimination from the League Cup at the hands of fourth-division Grimsby back in August, Neville believed United's showing against Wolves was even poorer, in a game they could have dropped points in without two excellent saves from Senne Lammens.

"That was the baddest of the bad that," the ex-United skipper remarked on the Gary Neville podcast.

"They weren't merely jeered at the final whistle. Supporters remained in the stands to keep jeering them. They have regressed."

United managed a narrow 1-0 home win over Newcastle on Boxing Day, even without key absentees due to injury such as skipper Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt, plus three others competing in the Africa Cup of Nations.

However, they struggled to click against Wolves, as Ladislav Krejci's headed equaliser shortly before the interval erased Joshua Zirkzee's deflected opener.

Questions arose once more about Amorim's 3-4-3 setup after the Portuguese coach switched back to it following a four-defender approach in the Newcastle clash.

"This does not feel correct. From observing United over the past five or six weeks, I can spot what works and what does not," Neville commented on Sky Sports.

"Seeing them revert to three at the back after just five minutes this evening made me think, no, Ruben, what is the reason for that? The head coach needs to reflect and admit, I erred there. I overcomplicated matters."

Amorim took off Zirkzee at the break and introduced 18-year-old Jack Fletcher for his third senior outing, calling it a mere tactical adjustment.

Yet Neville, on the changes made by Amorim, maintained: "Those moves only worsened Manchester United. Each replacement seemed odd.

"Assuming Zirkzee was not hurt and it truly was tactical, it was a dreadful decision.

"Zirkzee may not be another Eric Cantona in any way, but United required him on the pitch for his physical edge, alongside his stature and know-how."