Manchester United: Andrei Kanchelskis blasts Red Devils' style of play ahead of Moscow fixture

Former Manchester Untited winger Andrei Kanchelskis has stuck the boot into Louis van Gaal and slammed his tactics that have cost the Red Devils in recent weeks. United have gone three games without scoring a goal in all competitions and face CSKA Moscow on Tuesday, 3 November, a game that can make or break their bid to move into the group stages of the Champions League.

Kanchelskis, who won back-to-back Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson including a domestic double, insists the reverse fixture against Moscow showed a lot of chinks in United's armour and more teams will be looking to take similar advantage in the future.

The Red Devils drew the game 1-1, courtesy of a diving header from Anthony Martial, but the former United man believes the Russians have a good chance of pulling off a major upset over the 20-time English Champions. The winger also criticised Bastian Schweinsteiger, accusing him of not playing as passionately as you would expect a World Cup winner to.

"The first game against CSKA showed that it's possible to win against this team," Kanchelskis told Manchester Evening News. "I was at the stadium and I was surprised how disgustingly United played in the first half. A lot of ball control but no sharpness at all.

"In the second-half it got better because of the substitution of Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was slowing the game down. I guess Manchester United is not his team. It's in the history and tradition of Man United to play wide and be sharp at the flanks but there is nothing like this now.

"Yes, changes in the second half had worked. Marouane Fellaini was a good sub and, if he were used properly, he could be very useful."

The Red Devils have been accused of lacking creativity across the pitch, with Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew claiming that blocking Anthony Martial in the opposition box would be enough to stifle the entire team. Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye mirrored Pardew's claims, saying United's threat can be easily nullified by a team with a good defence.