MATTHAUS: THEY DON’T COMPARE TO 1999 TREBLE HEROES
LOTHAR MATTHAUS has accused Manchester United of signing too many ‘mercenaries’ who do not care enough about the club.
The Germany legend said some of United’s current squad are content to rake in their big salaries without giving their all on the pitch in return.
Matthaus will play at Old Trafford on Sunday in a game to mark the 20th anniversary of United’s last-gasp Champions League final win over Bayern Munich to clinch the Treble.
The 58-year-old was part of the Bayern team that went down 2-1 to Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s dramatic goals in added time at the Nou Camp in 1999.
Despite the pain of that agonising defeat, Matthaus praised the spirit that saw
United come from behind to seal the historic win
– but said the current squad have no such heart.
“This team is not like the United teams of before,” said Matthaus, who led Germany to
World Cup glory in 1990.
“I miss the team spirit that was such a big part of United’s history. They have really good players, but they don’t have a team. These players are not working well for the club.
“They have a big name, they make a good salary, ‘Everything is OK for me’, but then they have to show that quality in the team – not only for themselves.
“When you buy a player, everyone knows the quality of the player. But you have to see the character of the player, the mentality of the player.
“And when you see how many players take United for a lot of money, and what they give back, this is not enough.”
The Red Devils finished sixth in the Premier League last season, 32 points behind champions Manchester City, and missed out on the Champions League.
Big earners like Paul Pogba (left) and Alexis Sanchez were criticised for a perceived lack of effort, although Matthaus was too diplomatic to single out individuals.
“I don’t like to talk about names, because I respect all the players,” said Matthaus (left). “But you’re in the right direction. “United have good players, they paid a lot of money for them, but those players have to play with respect for the club and their teammates.
“I see a team with good names, great names, but without that famous spirit United always had. “I’m sure the people at United are smart enough to know what they have to do.
“They have to build a team to compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham.
“But they are far from those three and I think there’s a way for them to go.
“They have to invest the money not only in the quality of the player, but in the mentality of the player.
“The player has to give their heart for United, for the shirt, for the club, beautiful fans.”
Former midfielder Matthaus, capped a record 150 times for Germany, will join the likes of David Beckham and current United boss Solskjaer in the match, which sees the sides from 1999 reunited to raise money for charity.
Recalling the epic night in Barcelona, Matthaus said Bayern should have had the game won, but paid the price for losing their focus when it mattered.
“We dominated and I don’t think anyone would disagree when I say we could have been three or four goals up,” he added.
“We controlled the game. United didn’t come anywhere near our box to threaten our goal, but in the end we lost.
“It was terrible for Bayern, but we didn’t concentrate in the final moments like we did for 90 minutes.
“We were too slow and giving up too easily. We weren’t focused or organised.
“It was a shock for us and our fans at the time, because it hurt. But a few days later, it’s forgotten.” for the