Premier League: Gary Neville Supports Man Utd Following Opening-Day Victory, Labels Performance as 'Steady and Unspectacular'

Manchester United got off to a strong start in the Premier League season with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fulham on Friday (Aug 16), thanks to a goal from Joshua Zirkzee. Despite a shaky performance in the Community Shield against rival Manchester City, United managed to secure the win with a late rescue act. Following the match, club legend Gary Neville expressed optimism about United's potential, describing their performance as "steady and unspectacular." The team is now focused on building on this momentum as they look ahead to the rest of the season.

"It was steady and unspectacular," he said on Football. "They had to win and it didn't look like they were going to for large parts of that game.

"It was critical that they won and the clean sheet was important. Defensively they will be better than they were last season and the squad looks bigger and thicker. It wasn't spectacular football but given the way they set up tonight, I didn't expect it to be.”

Manchester United faced huge backlash last season having finished eighth in the Premier League with manager Erik ten Hag on the brink of sack. However, United beat Man City in the FA Cup final in May which saw the Dutchman retain the faith of the management and stay at the job.

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The Red Devils were frustrated for the majority of the match but managed to squeeze the win through new signing Zirkzee. United were without Rasmus Hojlund for the contest who was injured in the pre-season. Ten Hag’s side will face Brighton next Saturday and will look to register back-to-back wins in the Premier League.

Last season United had a torrid time in the Premier League having endured the worst time in the Premier League era. The club ended with a negative goal difference for the first time in over three decades but with reinforcements in the camp, they will look to challenge for the top four and return to the Champions League.