Manchester United took “two steps back” in their defeat to Wolves, according to former midfielder Luke Chadwick.
United have found themselves coming in for heavy criticism following another lacklustre performance in their first game of 2022, which saw Ralf Rangnick suffer his first defeat as interim manager.
Having looked to have been approaching form again in the 3-1 win over Burnley before the turn of the year, familiar flaws returned against Wolves, who deserved their 1-0 win at Old Trafford.
The result saw United miss out on the opportunity to make up some ground in the race for the Premier League top four, and has left the current squad facing yet more questions about their application this season.
“It was a real damp squib,” Chadwick told Caught Offside.
“There was a real hope after the Burnley game, when we were really on the front foot and positive. A new year, a fresh start, but it was a real disappointment in terms of the performance.
“There was no energy, no real attacking intent, and Wolves were without a doubt the better team throughout the game and deserved the win.
“It was another case of one step forward, two steps back. It was a bit different from against Burnley, when Sancho was a bit wider, McTominay got forward well, and it looked like a nice balance.
“It was the same team against Wolves but it was like night and day really, there wasn’t the energy to get into the box or create chances and it was a really disappointing start to the year.
“We didn’t seem as narrow against Burnley, Sancho got into really good positions, Shaw got forward well. Against Wolves there was no dynamic movement, though their shape was good and they dropped a bit deeper, really frustrating United, who just ran out of ideas in the end.
“Not many of the players are at the top of their game at the moment.”
Since Monday’s defeat, various reports have emerged suggesting some of United’s players are unhappy with Rangnick’s training methods.
United’s current position representing a major underachievement after they spent big last summer. But Chadwick insists it is too early to suggest United should have gone for other managerial options.
“It’s way too early to say that [Antonio] Conte would’ve been the better option,” Chadwick said.
“Rangnick’s come in and this was his first defeat against Wolves, he can’t turn things around that quickly in terms of getting the team to play his way.
“What Rangnick talks about, he wants his teams playing a certain way and always wants high energy from his players, and at the moment United look anything but that. It seemed like the Burnley game might be a turning point with a really energetic attacking display, but against Wolves it was really dour.”
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