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Lothar Matthaus has accused Manchester United of signing too many mercenaries who do not care enough about the club.

The Germany legend believes some of United's current squad are content to rake in big salaries without giving their all on the pitch in return.

Matthaus will play at Old Trafford himself on Sunday, in a game to mark the 20th anniversary of that iconic last-gasp Champions League Final win over Bayern Munich to clinch the Treble.

The 58-year-old was part of a team who were moments from being crowned kings of Europe in Barcelona's Nou Campbut were beaten 2-1 as Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored added-time goals.

Despite the pain of that agonising defeat, Matthaus praised the spirit that saw United come from behind to make history — and said the club's current squad have no such heart.

(Image: Bongarts/Getty)

“This team is not like the United teams of before,” said Matthaus, who led his country to World Cup Final glory in 1990.

“I miss the team spirit that was such a big part of United’s history.

“They have really good players but don’t have a team. The players are not working well for the club. They have a big name, they make a good salary, ‘everything is okay for me’, but then they have to show that quality in the team - not only for themselves.

“When you buy a player, everyone knows the quality of the player. But you have to see the character of the player, the mentality of the player. And when you see how many players take United for a lot of money, and what they give back, this is not enough.”

(Image: Reuters)

United just finished sixth in the Premier League, 32 points behind champions Manchester City, to miss out on a Champions League place next season.

Big earners including Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez were criticised for a perceived lack of effort, but Matthaus was too diplomatic to single out individuals.

“I don’t like to talk about names, because I respect all the players — but you’re in the right direction,” he said. “United have good players, they paid a lot of money for them, but those players have to play with respect for the club and their team-mates.

(Image: Reuters)

“I see a team with good names, great names, but without that famous spirit United always had.

“I’m sure the people at United are smart enough to know what they have to do. They have to build a team to compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham. But they are far from those three and I think there’s a way for them to go.

“They have to invest the money not only in the quality of the player, but in the mentality of the player. The player has to give their heart for United, for the shirt, for the club, for the beautiful fans.”

Matthaus, capped a record 150 times, will join the likes of David Beckham and current United boss Solskjaer in the game, which sees the sides from 1999 reunited to raise money for charity.

(Image: Ullstein Bild/Getty)

Recalling that jaw-dropping night in Barcelona, Matthaus said Bayern should have had the game won well before United's tables-turning late goal double and paid the price for losing their focus when it mattered.

“We dominated and I don’t think anyone would disagree when I say we could have been three or four goals up,” he said. “We controlled the game. United didn’t come anywhere near our box to threaten our goal, but in the end we lost.

“It was terrible for Bayern, but we didn’t concentrate in the final moments like we did for 90 minutes. We were too slow and giving up too easily. We weren’t focused or organised. It was a shock for us and our fans at the time, because it hurt. But a few days later, it’s forgotten.”

* Tickets for the Treble Reunion match, in aid of the Manchester United Foundation, are still available to buy atwww.manutd.comor by calling 0161 868 800.