It’s not often a Manchester United side can be accused of lacking fight, but that was the honest assessment of their own full-back Patrice Evra after his side’s feeble display against Liverpool.   Even when United have an off-day they can normally rely on their spirit to make up for any shortcomings, and they have mastered the art of winning when not playing well.   But last Sunday there was a real vacuum of aggression and attitude and it was as low as the quality of their performance. They allowed a struggling Liverpool side to bully and overrun them and United’s failure to make enough tackles and hesitant defending cost them dearly. From back to front, they were edgy and at no point took control of the game.

United haven’t replaced the contribution of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo and it’s almost as if their better players sense the shortage of quality, which is causing frustration and holding them back.

Wayne Rooney isn’t always going to be at his best and that’s partly because of strike partner Dimitar Berbatov’s indifferent attitude, because if he’s not sublimely plucking the ball out of the air he is sat on his backside moaning and taking an age to get back on his feet. In midfield, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs can’t be expected to run every game for them, while disregarding the occasional silky touches of Michael Carrick, the former Tottenham player fails to impose himself on big games.

 

But one player particularly is causing huge discontent in the stands and if the fans can feel it, so must the players. The infuriating nature of Nani got out of control a while ago and it might be time to look elsewhere for a spark on the wings.   The Portuguese international has been given a fair crack of the whip at Old Trafford but he squanders the ball so much and his limitations were on show again when he was brought of the bench to help rescue the game on Merseyside, only to end up playing a part in their self-destruction.   It was a poor touch by Nani that allowed Jamie Carragher to challenge him and win the ball back, and from there Liverpool went on to score their second goal and kill the game off.

It’s indicative of the contribution he makes and on the occasions he can hold on to possession his end product is usually wayward, much to the annoyance of those around him.

There are others in the squad that surely deserve their chance now. Last January, Sir Alex Ferguson spent over £16m on Serbian pair Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic but they have rarely featured and it makes you wonder about the point of signing them. If the reason why they have been limited to a minor role is because they aren’t good enough, then that money should have been used elsewhere.

French winger Gabriel Obertan, a £3m summer signing from Bordeaux, looked lively in the League Cup win at Barnsley on his return from injury and deserves a start on one of the flanks against Blackburn or CSKA Moscow.

These players may not necessarily solve United’s problems, but they can’t possible be any worse than what is witnessed from some of the players who do get their chance.