Paul Scholes fears three of Manchester United’s most experienced players can no longer cope with the rigours of Premier League football.
Ruben Amorim’s side enjoyed a morale-boosting win prior to the international break, recording a 2-0 home victory against Sunderland.
Three points against the newly promoted side represented a much needed shot in the arm for under-fire manager Ruben Amorim who is still battling to save his job as he approaches his one year Old Trafford anniversary.
United have undergone a significant transformation in terms of personnel over the course of the last 12 months but appear some distance from being the finished article.
Summer recruits Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens
have all shown a measure of promise but further squad surgery will be required if the Red Devils are to challenge the Premier League elite again.
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And with success in the English top flight increasingly reliant on fitness and durability, Scholes fears a trio of United’s elder statemen are unlikely to have long-term futures under Amorim.
He told The Times: ‘Shaw, Maguire, Casemiro, they’ve all been great players but they’re at a stage of their career now where you get found out in the Premier League if you’re not physically good enough.
‘Their bodies are not athletic enough, they’re not strong enough, they’re not quick enough. They’ve dropped to a level where they can’t cope with what’s needed in the Premier League.
‘Every player in the Premier League is an absolute machine. They’ve got five per cent body fat, they can run, they’re strong, they can head it. Manchester United are carrying two or three players that are just not capable of living with it.’
Amorim, meanwhile, has challenged his players to show they are heading in the right direction in Sunday’s clash with Liverpool.
The Red Devils travel to Anfield bidding to close to within two points of their opponents and with a slightly more positive feeling around the club following the victory over Sunderland before the international break.
United have not won at the home of their great rivals for nearly a decade, but they have taken a point from their last two visits, including January’s 2-2 draw.
‘We played well,’ said Amorim, who is yet to oversee back-to-back wins in the league. ‘I was really upset at the end of the game because we proved that day that we can compete against any opponent.
‘I know that it’s special for our club, I know they are fighting all the time for the number of titles, I know what it means to the fans. But it’s one game that we need to prove again that we are playing better.
‘I think we are playing better. We need to do better in both boxes. It’s one more game that we need to win.’