• Man United’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham was their third in their last four matches
  • Michael Owen says experienced players are not doing their bit to help out
  •  LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Will Liverpool recover from Everton blow in season-defining week?

By DAVID KENT

Michael Owen took aim at Man United’s players after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Tottenham left his club floundering in 15th place in the Premier League and set for their worst ever season. 

James Maddison’s goal was enough to inflict a third defeat in the last four games for Ruben Amorim’s side with just 12 points separating them from the relegation zone. 

Man United have lost 12 of 25 Premier League games this season. They have not suffered more defeats in their first 25 games since 1973-74, when they were relegated from the top flight. 

The United squad has been hit hard by injuries to the extent that Amorim’s bench at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium featured eight teenagers with just one first-team appearance between the lot of them. 

But Owen, who scored 52 goals during his time at Old Trafford, pointed his finger at the more experienced players who were kept flatfooted when Maddison pounced to turn in after Andre Onana could only parry Lucas Bergvall’s effort.

Owen blamed the back three of Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui and told Premier League Productions: ‘What frustrates me more than anything about the team is that those centre-halves do nothing during the game.

James Maddison has plenty of time to put away a rebound for Tottenham’s winner on Sunday

Michael Owen was highly critical of Man United's defence which he described as 'sleeping'

Michael Owen was highly critical of Man United’s defence which he described as ‘sleeping’

Things don't look like they will get easier for Ruben Amorim with a trip to Everton up next

Things don’t look like they will get easier for Ruben Amorim with a trip to Everton up next

‘They hardly pick up any players at all, yet when you ask them to do one job – stop the guy who’s shooting – they’re sleeping at that as well.

‘We’ve seen so many clips in the first half when there’s nobody to pick up, there’s three of them literally doing nothing. They won’t push in, they won’t go and mark anybody, they just sit there.’

Life doesn’t look as if it is going to get easier any time soon for Amorim’s men. They next travel to Everton for the Saturday lunchtime Premier League kick-off.

No team have secured more points than Everton’s 13 since David Moyes returned to Goodison Park last month and they will fancy their chances of inflicting more pain on out-of-sorts Man United. 

:
Michael Owen slams three Man United stars who ‘do NOTHING’ after Tottenham defeat leaves Ruben Amorim’s side 15th and heading towards worst ever season

***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk