Manchester United are a half-empty jigsaw and Jose Mourinho isn't the only problem, insists Gary Neville

Gary Neville likened Manchester United to a half-empty jigsaw puzzle after their comprehensive 3-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City on Sunday, but refused to lay the blame on Jose Mourinho.

Goals from David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan enabled City to return to the top of the Premier League as comfortable victors over United at the Etihad Stadium despite Anthony Martial’s second-half penalty – the visitors’ only shot on target in the match.

After the match Neville and fellow Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness engaged in a heated debate about the cause of United’s problems, with Souness repeatedly asserting that Mourinho is failing to maximise the talent at his disposal at United.

“There is not just one piece of the jigsaw or one answer at Manchester United here, where they can say this is what we need and all of sudden they are going to win the league,” Neville said.

“The jigsaw is half empty, but the problem is at the moment when you’re looking at it, you’re not quite sure what pieces are missing and that’s something the board, the owners, the senior recruiters, the coach, they have got to sit down and say how do we build a title winning team. You build a title winning team, Graeme, by keeping clean sheets.”

Souness responded: “Listen, it’s a simple question as the manager, any manager going into a football club have to ask themselves are they getting the best out of the group of players at Manchester United. Yes or no, it’s a simple question. What is it?”

“I don’t know,” replied Neville, who insisted that he did not consider United’s performance to be “acceptable in any way, shape or form”.

“I’ve seen [these players] under Louis Van Gaal a lot of these players, I saw them and I didn’t like what I saw and he was coach,” he added. “At this moment in time, Manchester United don’t look like they can win a game proactively. They finished second last season, the best since Sir Alex Ferguson finished.

“I’m not defending Jose Mourinho, but could the manager get more out of them? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know if the players are good enough, Graeme, I haven’t got a clue.

“Look, if you asked me: ‘Is Ashley Young playing the best he could play?’ Yeah. ‘Is this the Chris Smalling we have seen for the last few years?’ Yeah. [Victor] Lindelof is playing better than he has ever played. [David] De Gea’s not, De Gea’s not.

“[Nemanja] Matic… Graeme to be fair I look at it and it’s so confusing when you watch Manchester United it’s so confusing because, what would you change? If you were going in there as the manager tomorrow what would you change?”

Souness pointed to the fact that Alexis Sanchez has been a shell of the player he was at Arsenal since moving to Old Trafford, adding that he thinks Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Rashford are all playing well below their capabilities under Mourinho.

The former Liverpool legend added that he would demand all of United’s midfielders, including Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, play one and two-touch football, to which Neville replied: “Fellaini can’t play one or two touch in midfield.”

United’s defeat on Sunday leaves them eighth in the Premier League, 12 points adrift of leaders City, having won just six and lost four of their opening 12 matches of the season.