Alan Shearer has claimed that Manchester United did not ‘look fit’ during their Premier League opening weekend defeat to Hull City.
United were looking to pick up where they left off last season under Michael Carrick, but were instead outthought and outmuscled by the newly-promoted side as they fell to a 2-0 defeat.
Sami Ajayi converted a rebound from a corner to give Hull City the lead before Nobel Mendy thumped home Regan Slater’s delightful free-kick delivery to double the hosts’ lead.
United brought on Marcus Rashford at half-time to try and find a way back into the game, but Sergej Jakirovic’s side held on with relative ease for their first league victory over the Red Devils in 52 years.
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While players like Rashford have only just returned to training in recent weeks, large swathes of Carrick’s squad had a full pre-season ahead of their opening league game.
But Shearer believes that the entire squad did not look ready for the start of the season, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: ‘I haven’t seen Manchester United in pre-season, but I saw them in this game and they didn’t look fit.
‘They didn’t look ready to play 90 minutes of intense, high-pressure, high-energy football.
‘There was only one team that looked fit there and it wasn’t Manchester United.’
Analysing United’s performance further, the ex-Newcastle United striker added: ‘The standout thing for me, particularly in the first half, was how easy it was for Hull to put crosses into the box, how their two wing-backs had no other thought than to move the ball out their feet and cross it in.
‘I know the two goals they conceded came from set pieces, but that also came from when the balls went into the box.
‘That’s how they got the corner anyway, from that first goal. Balls into the box, no other thought; move it out and get it and Man Utd couldn’t cope with that.’
Speaking after the game, Carrick conceded that his team were never going to be ‘perfect’, but they now have ‘a lot to learn’ from the 2-0 defeat.
‘We have bits to improve on, it was never going to be perfect today, but going behind and giving ourselves a lot to do makes it more difficult,’ he told TNT Sports.
‘It was probably a typical game against a newly promoted team at home, we can’t give them much and they had a lot to hold on to.
‘After that, we had moments; we had opportunities, but we just didn’t have that spark to then put the chances away or create any more. We’re bitterly disappointed with the result today, but it won’t knock us.’
Asked what his side had to improve upon, Carrick replied: ‘It’s for us to know and to improve during the week and keep getting stronger as a group. That will come. We have a lot to learn from today’s game, but we will.
‘Two goals conceded any way is frustrating. We’ve been pretty good at defending set-pieces over a period of time but they decided the game today.
‘There are things to improve on, but again, one game doesn’t change the direction of everything, but we need to be aware of what we need to get better at.’
United are back in action next weekend at home to Ipswich Town, while Hull will look to make it two wins from two away at Coventry City.
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