Man Utd trio slammed 'for doing nothing' during matches by ex-player

Michael Owen has ripped into three Manchester United defenders, accusing them of "sleeping" throughout their dismal 1-0 defeat against Tottenham on Sunday.

United endured another frustrating result in an already chaotic season, with James Maddison scoring the only goal just 13 minutes in after reacting first to Andre Onana’s parry from a Lucas Bergvall shot.

Owen, 45, was furious with United’s three centre-backs—Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Harry Maguire—for their lack of urgency, blaming them for failing to react and allowing Maddison to slot home.

“What frustrates me more than anything about Manchester United is that those centre-halves do nothing during the game," he said.

"They hardly pick up any players, yet when they need to do one job—stop the guy who’s shooting—they’re sleeping.”

The former United and Liverpool striker didn't stop there, also criticizing their overall defensive display.

“We saw so many moments in the first half where they had no one to mark," he continued.

"There were three of them literally doing nothing. They won’t push up, they won’t mark, they just sit there.The manager plays so many defenders, yet none of them are picking anyone up.

Owen also pointed out the imbalance in United’s setup, arguing that their midfielders have an impossible task, while the defenders have it easy yet still fail to deliver.

He said: “The midfield for Manchester United has to be the hardest place to play in the Premier League, and the defence should be the easiest—because they literally mark no one, ever.They just sit there doing nothing while everyone else is outnumbered all over the pitch.”

The defeat leaves United 15th in the Premier League, just 12 points above the relegation zone, as Ruben Amorim's struggles continue and the fans are now questioning his tactics after a honeymoon period.