Gary Neville has called out six Arsenal players who ‘let themselves down’ in the 1-0 Premier League away win over Manchester United on Sunday.
Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game in the 13th minute as Arsenal got off to a winning start in their first match of the new season.
Despite the impressive result, Arsenal’s performance was far from perfect and even manager Mikel Arteta admitted his side were not at their best.
Football pundit Roy Keane was critical of Arsenal for not being clinical enough and defending a 1-0 lead when they should’ve killed the game off.
Neville has now called out Arsenal stars Viktor Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Gabriel Martinelli.
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Speaking on his Gary Neville Podcast on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel, the former United defender said: ‘They didn’t play well, Arsenal.
‘For the players they had out on the pitch – Rice, Zubimendi, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Gyokeres – they really did let themselves down at times.
‘Particularly on the counter-attack, they were really sloppy. They didn’t really get their passing going.’
Neville was also critical of how Arsenal centre-back William Saliba played in the opening stages of the match at Old Trafford.
‘The two centre-backs grew into the game and they are outstanding, a brilliant pair, but Saliba had one of the shakiest 10 minutes I’ve seen from him in the first period of the game,’ Neville added.
Two of the players Neville called out – Gyokeres and Zubimendi – only arrived at the Emirates this summer.
Arsenal paid Sporting CP £63.5m to sign striker Gyokeres and also splashed out £51m on Real Sociedad midfielder Zubimendi.
Gunners legend Tony Adams feels Arsenal should’ve signed Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa instead of Gyokeres in the summer transfer window.
‘The Portuguese lad (Gyokeres)… I don’t know yet,’ Adams said. ‘He’s not tried and tested [in English football].
‘I would have liked to have seen them get Ollie Watkins to be honest with you.
‘He’s a Gooner, he might have given us a year and we might have won the title.’
Gyokeres had 21 touches, completed just four of nine passes and failed to register a single shot on target against United.
‘It was a tough day at work for him,’ Arsenal icon Freddie Ljungberg said about Gyokeres’ Premier League debut.
