Manchester United: Opposition clubs do not fear facing Red Devils says Glenn Hoddle

Glenn Hoddle says Manchester United have lost the fear factor, which they had when Sir Alex Ferguson were in charge. The Scot stepped down from the managerial post after helping Red Devils win the 20<sup>th league title in 2013.

Since Ferguson's retirement, United have sacked his successor David Moyes and replaced him with Louis van Gaal. Under the Dutchman's guidance, the Old Trafford club have been playing possession football.

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager believes United no longer has individual star players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes etc to make an impact. He claims the opposition clubs no longer fear facing the 20-time English champions, which should be a matter of worry for Van Gaal.

"No-one truly fears playing Manchester United at the moment. Not PSV Eindhoven, not Swansea City and nor should Southampton on Saturday, after beating them at Old Trafford last season," Hoddle told the Daily Mail.

"When you think about United you associate them with individual flair and the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona and George Best. There's no-one like that at the club right now. You used to face them thinking: 'If we stop Ronaldo there's two or three others, like Paul Scholes or Roy Keane, who could hurt us.'

"Not so now. United always played at pace with high intensity and with plenty of movement off the ball. You don't see any of that at the moment.

"This team might feel they're playing really good football, with more possession than other sides. But they're not creating anywhere near the same chances as the old Manchester United.

"It is more than two years since United won the league. Even then it was with one of Sir Alex Ferguson's weakest teams and Manchester City really threw the title away. It has been some time since United scared their opponents in the Premier League and even longer in Europe," he added.