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Gary Neville says it is 'painful to watch' Manchester United under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho.

The United legend has accused the club of abandoning their traditions under the Portuguese, and believes they have been forced to pay the price for doing so.

United traditionally adopted an attacking 4-4-2 formation with an emphasis on quick wing play and two central attacking options.

However, Mourinho has adopted a more pragmatic approach during his time at Old Trafford and Neville thinks the club were wrong to ditch their blueprint in an effort to strike short-term success.

“Ajax, Manchester United and Barcelona are the three bastions of European football in terms of style of play. United have always played 4-4-1-1, 4-4-2, with two wide players. It’s ingrained in the club. Don’t change, don’t make short-term decisions,” Neville told the Second Captains podcast.

“The fans weren’t happy, the stadium was starting to have empty seats and then they think, ‘right, we need to win’ and they bring in Jose Mourinho, who likes powerful, robust, strong players.

“Out went nearly all those 11 and Mourinho brings in Lukaku, Matic, Fred, Bailly, a wave of players who suit his style. Let’s say Mauricio Pochettino comes in next - he likes hungry 23, 24-year-olds, he likes pushing up the pitch and playing high, he likes players who can press from the front.

“How many Manchester United forwards do you see that run about like the Tottenham ones? Mourinho is happy to sit back a bit deeper and have a more robust, physical player.

“As a Manchester United fan it’s painful to watch."

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