Gary Neville credits Amorim for surprise decision in loss vs. Villa that may have spared him major fan backlash

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has delivered a surprising verdict on the club’s 2-1 loss at the hands of Aston Villa on Sunday. United beaten by Villa United had not been beaten at Villa Park since 1995 but were sunk by a Morgan Rogers double despite putting up a decent performance against the high-flying Birmingham outfit. Villa took the lead at the stroke of half-time when Rogers was allowed to cut in and fire a curling effort into the top corner. United didn’t trail for too long, as Matheus Cunha restored parity less than four minutes later. Patrick Dorgu did well to snatch the ball from Matty Cash before he slipped in Cunha. The Brazilian forward made no mistake as he sent the ball into the back of the net with a stunning finish. Ruben Amorim’s men were dealt a devastating blow when Bruno Fernandes pulled up with an injury that saw him taken off at the interval and replaced by Lisandro Martinez. The World Cup winner slotted in at midfield and did a commendable job. However, Rogers had the final say, netting a 57th-minute winner to make it 10 consecutive victories in all competitions. The result has left the Red Devils in seventh place in the Premier League table, three points adrift of Chelsea in fourth. Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, Neville delivered a shockingly optimistic verdict on United’s performance, insisting he saw plenty of positives that Amorim can build on moving forward. Neville’s take Neville said, “I thought it was a really good performance, but the details of the two goals have cost them.” “Now that’s going to continue to happen whilst they don’t have the likes of Harry Maguire and Matthijs De Ligt, and they don’t have players that would make them a lot stronger.” “What I have seen in these last two games is a couple of things. One, the manager has changed. Quite obviously, the system that he said he would never change, the five or the three [at the back], the two in midfield, the two wing backs and the three up front, that has been thrown out of the window in the last two matches.” “That’s a good thing.” The former United captain added, “I’m happy that the manager is adapting to what’s happening out there because of what’s happening with AFCON, but also I think there’s an element where he couldn’t carry on as we saw against West Ham and Everton at home.” “More of that would find the manager in a lot of trouble – more of what we’ve seen between Bournemouth and Villa is going to find the manager in a job, and will allow him to build something, because you can build off what you’ve seen here.” “Manchester United can still finish in the top five and they’ve missed three or four opportunities in the last three weeks to do that, but if they can get those players back from AFCON and they can stay fit, they can do something.” “Ruben Amorim has got to approach it the way in which he has in the last five or six days. The system has been tweaked – more than tweaked – and I think with [Mason] Mount, [Matheus] Cunha, [Bruno] Fernandes, [Bejamin] Sesko, [Bryan] Mbeumo and Amad [Diallo] out there on the pitch, not all of them but probably four or five of them, they will cause a lot of teams a lot of problems.” United are next in action on Boxing Day when they welcome Eddie Howe’s Newcastle to Old Trafford. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Derick Kinoti Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the Premier League extensively for years. His work blends sharp analysis, tactical insight, and engaging storytelling that resonates with fans around the world. Derick has gained valuable experience in football journalism, developing strong expertise in SEO writing, digital content creation, and social media engagement. A tech enthusiast with a Computer Science degree from the University of Nairobi, he ultimately swapped code for football commentary, bringing an analytical, detail-oriented approach to his writing. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!