Neville says why he 'wasn't sure' about Man Utd side Carrick picked to face Leeds

Gary Neville says why he looked at the Manchester United side that was picked to face Leeds and "he wasn't sure".

United started slowly against a Leeds side which was fighting against relegation and were punished.

The visitors had a two-goal advantage at half-time after a brace from Noah Okafor, and it got worse for United in the second half.

Lisandro Martinez was shown a straight red card for violent conduct - with VAR harshly picking out a slight hair tug on Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Casemiro scored a header in the 69th minute to give hope of a comeback but they couldn't muster a second.

"I looked at [the Man Utd team] and thought, wasn't sure about it. Just wasn't sure," said Neville.

"I don't know whether it was Mainoo not in there, whether it was Maguire not in there or Mbeumo but it just didn't feel like it was a team that was going to connect together."

"It's the hand he's been dealt, but it's not a partnership that ever is ever going to work. I mean, it's just not," Neville said of Manuel Ugarte alongside Casemiro.

"Casemiro has been a world-class player and there were times tonight to be fair when he was driving the team forward and he scored a wonderful goal. So it's nothing against him at all."

"Ugarte's been well short since he came to the club and if he's going to play alongside someone, he needs really a football player alongside him. He's really sort of limited on the ball."

"Should he be called the 'Hair Puller of Manchester'? I mean, what? In the referees' guidebook it says hair pulls should be deemed violent conduct," said Neville.

"You don't spit. You don't pull hair. They're just things that you know you get a red card for. It's one of those things that I don't think football players like as professionals."

"The back four that isn't a back four really(...) they really struggled," said Neville.

Mazraoui started at right back with Diogo Dalot not fit to start and he struggled at right-back while Martinez and Leny Yoro had a difficult night from the start.

"The back four was not good enough. Let's be clear from minute one. They let balls get played in behind them. They had runners in behind them. They physically got out-muscled," he said.

"When you take two or three players out of the team... it just demonstrates a bit of a reality check tonight really for Manchester United."

It has dented the excellent run that United have been on under Carrick but they are still well placed to finish in a Champions League place.

"It was probably Michael Carrick's most difficult game, but overall they're still in a very good position. Seven points clear of Chelsea going to Stamford Bridge at the weekend," said Neville.

"That just showed a little bit tonight of how far they are away in some ways, because you lose two or three, four players out of the team and all of a sudden it looks a little bit awkward and a little bit clumsy and not connected."

Neville felt that United played some of their best football when they were down to 10 men.

"They demonstrated some character and some personality when really it could have been quite difficult and Leeds could have gone away in top counter and scored a third and a fourth," he said.

"I think Michael Carrick will be proud of that bit. I think Manchester United will be okay and we'll get Champions League football."