"Midfield was non-existent" - Gary Neville explains why Manchester United were lucky to get 3 points against Wolves

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has explained why Erik ten Hag's men were lucky to earn all three points against Wolves in their Premier League opener on Monday, August 14.

The Englishman stated that the Red Devils were totally outplayed by the visitors and were far from deserving of a win at Old Trafford. United beat Wolves 1-0.

After making significant additions to their squad this summer, all eyes were on Manchester United to make an impression when they took to the pitch to play their first game of the season at Old Trafford. However, they couldn't meet expectations as they struggled to cope with a high-flying Wolves side.

The visitors came out as the more dangerous side, recording five shots on target compared to United's two. They also enjoyed a fair share of possession and won the most set pieces and corner kicks, putting pressure on the Red Devils until the end of the game and were unlucky not to find the back of the net.

Speaking after the game, Gary Neville offered an explanation of why Manchester United failed to impress during the encounter.

“Manchester United’s midfield was non-existent, it emptied,” the former defender said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

“It was a concern that was probably there if you watched Manchester United in pre-season. Leaving Casemiro on his own when Mount and Fernandes go forwards, it looks great but you’ve got to have a balance and the front three don’t really work hard enough in a defensive sense," he added.

“That would have been a real worry because Wolves have got a new manager only four days ago, there was a lot of misery around how their season might end up but they have been brilliant tonight, everything other than a goal or two," Neville said.

“Manchester United were outplayed and they can feel very fortunate they have come away with the three points because they didn’t really deserve it," he concluded.

Following the hard-fought victory, United now occupy the seventh position on the table. It remains to be seen if they can step up their performance in the coming games and build on that result.

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Erik ten Hag passes verdict on Manchester United's performance against Wolves

Red Devils manager - Erik Ten Hag

Speaking in his post-match interview, the United manager admitted that his side could do better than they did against the Wolves but insisted that he was happy to have picked up the three points.

“It can be better,” the Dutchman told BBC Sport. “We can play better. But we’re very pleased with the win. The opposition were dynamic. We have to match that. We had to fight for our points."

"There is no easy game in the Premier League and definitely not Wolves. They’re a tough team and we did really well. You have to fight in every game. We hope we’ll be better on the ball in the next game,” the Red Devils boss added.