On 21 September, Fulham drew 1-1 with Manchester United in Premier League matchday 5. After the match, Neville shared his thoughts on the game in a Sky Sports podcast.

Let's look at the positives and consider this game constructively. We have a fairly long international break coming up, and as you mentioned, today's performance was quite poor. So when the players return from around the world, if Michael Carrick wants today to be a turning point for the team to make a fresh start and move forward, what should he do?

Neville: The team started the season in difficult circumstances, didn't they? And in every game there are different problems at different points. For example, against Everton they couldn't control the game after going ahead. Against Manchester City they couldn't manage well when chasing the score or playing with 10 men. That game was different and they couldn't manage it. Of course we have to acknowledge they should have had a draw in that match because the opponent's goal shouldn't have been allowed.

Midweek against Brighton, they were outplayed in every area. Brighton's performance was far superior to Manchester United. In the game against Hull City, I thought Hull played with more determination, discipline and urgency. So almost every game reveals a different problem. Even against Ipswich the opponent created chances in the first half. So Manchester United has many areas to review. I haven't yet seen a clear and consistent pattern of problems running through every game.

As for today... I don't know how to describe what I saw today. I have to say today's performance was a mix of several issues: insufficient quality in the final third, players wandering in defence, and a complete lack of urgency. They showed no intensity, didn't try to make it difficult for Fulham. Fulham could have passed the ball a thousand times in this game. They played far too easily. So Michael Carrick has to try to find balance.

I think Baleba will definitely be in the team after the international break. He has three weeks to build up his physical condition and prepare for what the game demands. He needs to come into the team because Manchester United needs more energy on the pitch. They need more physical strength, more energy, and more intensity. This team is playing too softly right now. Opponents manage them far too easily. There aren't enough players in the team thinking about how to help when they don't have the ball. Many players only think about their own performance when they have it. They want the ball and want to play beautifully.

That's fine in itself because of course you want players who can excite Old Trafford, whether they're wearing red or, like today, blue. But you also have to do the dirty, hard, and ugly work. You want players willing to fight for you and battle for you. You want the team to have balance, and right now this team doesn't have that.

I think perhaps they might need to consider switching to a 4-3-3 system. Think about it: Rashford on the left, Mbappé on the right, Hojlund up front, and then Bruno. That gives you four attacking players. But who among them is genuinely good at defending? I mean willing to run and make a huge defensive effort? None of them. Then you have Tilemans and Mainoo in midfield. I think their running patterns are rather one-dimensional. So could the team consider having Baleba play in that position, with Mainoo and Bruno as the advanced midfield pairing and three players in the middle? Then the attack would still use three forwards. Perhaps Michael Carrick should make some tactical adjustments to add something different there because Manchester United is playing too easily right now. They could be conceding every week.

Fulham probably should have scored four or five goals, and Manchester United had chances to score four or five as well. But in terms of defence, Manchester United probably could have conceded four or five in this game too. Against stronger teams they'll be torn apart defensively.

So Michael Carrick has a lot to think about, but I think what he needs to do is re-balance these 11 players. I think the current 4-2-3-1 formation... I'd like Manchester United to continue with this system because it's how I like to see them play, but the problem now is the formation is too open. Both wingers are too wide, which means the two central midfielders are exposed to the opposition. If Bruno doesn't drop back in time, the team effectively becomes 4-2-4, and that's where the problems start.

Particularly with Mainoo and Tilemans, they simply don't have the running capacity to cover the entire midfield. So you could try pairing Baleba with Mainoo and see how that works.

But ultimately I think Michael Carrick may need to switch to a stronger three-man midfield. I expect Manchester United will play Atlético Madrid, face Tottenham, and then travel to Leeds United. I think it will be necessary to add more strength and experience to this team. Perhaps they should consider a 4-5-1 shape defensively and 4-3-3 in attack. He might need to consider this adjustment.

You might say it's still basically 4-3-3, just with Bruno playing higher up, but I think you understand what I mean. Bruno drops a bit deeper, with three midfielders, and the two wingers connecting with them. That way the team has five players in midfield when defending instead of four.

In reality it's not even a true four-man midfield right now because Mbappé and Rashford aren't tucking in. They're not playing the way Beckham and Giggs used to. They don't work as hard as Beckham and Giggs did back then. I mean, those two players are more capable and they used to drop deeper to help defend, tuck inside, and provide defensive support. They did everything you'd want from wingers.

I have to say Rashford and Mbappé are a different type of player. They're more like centre-forwards playing out wide than traditional midfielders. They're a different type of player from traditional wingers. So yes, I think Manchester United needs a major overhaul. This international break comes at a good time.

I think Michael Carrick needs a mental rest during this break too. He needs to pause for a moment, reassess the team's situation, review the games that have passed, and have a proper discussion with his coaching staff. His defence is genuinely thin, but he still has these players. You know what I mean. He should have alternatives in defence, but he doesn't. So that will always be a problem.

Lammers saved well today. I think Michael Carrick now needs to seriously consider how to protect his defence and create a stable structure for the whole team. I don't think he'll continue with the current formation and I don't think he'll continue with all the same players in it. The team needs to change. Otherwise they'll lose many games because the teams right now are very well organized. They analyse opponents in remarkable detail.

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