Gary Neville has torn into Manchester United's "tone deaf" players, managers and executives for going on a "global tour", just days after being knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid.
The former United full-back, who made 602 appearances for the club between 1992 and 2011, has commented on the fact that some stars have decided to make the most of their weekend off.
United's chief executive Avram Glazer was spotted at the Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix, days after jetting off to Dubai to discuss cricket with Dubai Sports Council head Mansoor bin Mohammed.
United interim manager Ralf Rangnick was also using his rare time off to talk cricket. He was the special guest of the West Indies team as they faced England in Barbados.
In terms of first-team players enjoying their break, Jadon Sancho attended a party in Dubai hosted by Nigerian American singer and songwriter Davido, while Marcus Rashford was also in Middle East to attend a boxing event.
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Rashford, who sat next to teammate Brandon Williams, bumped into Regis Prograis after he scored a sixth-round stoppage over Irish fighter Tyrone McKenna at the Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
He was also pictured alongside Sunny Edwards after he successfully defended his IBF flyweight title.
Neville made his feelings known about this weekend's "global tour" following their recent exit in Europe.
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"I remember a time when United players, managers and executives wouldn’t be seen in their local Italian after a draw at home let alone getting knocked out of Europe," Neville tweeted on Monday morning.
"This last week we’ve seen a global tour of F1, concerts, cricket and UFC events. This lot are tone deaf!"
The post received hundreds of replies from fans. In fact, Neville responded to two comments from Twitter users.
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One person replied: "These players are human beings, do you expect them to stay in their houses in isolation? Expect better from someone who was a player for all those years."
The former Manchester United full-back hit back, saying: "I expect them to adapt to circumstances and go on holiday but quietly!"
Another fan commented: "Kind of find this a bit deranged that players are not allowed to live their lives outside of work. Not a great message to be sending."
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Neville responded: "No they are. They can go on holiday, relax and take time off. However if you’ve been knocked out of the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and floundering in the league. I wouldn’t think it’s too much to ask to lie low a bit!"
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker even got involved in the conversation. "True, they were mostly busy getting hammered down the pub without everyone being on social media to spy on them," he said.
Neville replied: "Not sure the spy needs to work too hard at test matches, F1, boxing and UFC."
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And it didn't take Lineker long to hit back. "Do you really think that’s a problem? Going to watch other sports has always been a thing. A positive thing at that."
Neville went on to comment: "Would you not adjust your plans if you had suffered a bad defeat as a player to maybe lie low?"
Has Neville got a point? What are your thoughts on United players spending their break at sporting events after their recent Champions League exit?
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/@windiescricket/Topics: Gary Neville, Manchester United, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Brandon Williams, Ralf Rangnick, Premier League
