Manchester United’s tenacious star: Don’t look at the manager, players to blame for woes

Manchester United full-back Rafael has insisted the players are to blame for the club’s bad form, not under fire boss David Moyes.

The Red Devils claimed their first victory of 2014 with a 2-0 win over Swansea at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, which salvaged some pride after three consecutive defeats resulted in a miserable New Year for the reigning Champions.

United now sit seventh in the table, languishing a huge 10 points behind Manchester City, who claimed top spot with a narrow victory over Newcastle. But while David Moyes has had to bear the brunt of criticism for United’s stuttering form, Rafael believes his colleagues have to stand up and be counted.

“We are the ones who have to take the responsibility. I don’t know why everyone is looking at the manager. It is the players who have to do the job on the pitch,” the 23 year-old told Sky Sports.

A transition period was widely expected after the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer, but Rafael is adamant that cannot be used as an excuse and the players need to prove themselves with performances on the pitch if their season is to be salvaged.

“We knew there would be a change. The manager had just left after 27 years and it was always going to be hard. But David Moyes has a strong mentality. He is doing his own job. We have to use that in a positive way. We have to show our quality. People are saying United don’t have a good squad. We have to prove it is not true,” he declared.