United lacking killer instinct, admits Fergie

ALEX FERGUSON has accused his Manchester United players of not being ruthless enough this season.

Ferguson said: “This present team doesn’t kill off sides as well as they should. At Goodison, we had three or four chances at 3-1 to really put the game out of sight, but we were wasteful and ultimately paid the price.

“We threw away two goals in injury-time. That’s unthinkable. That killer instinct just isn’t there and it’s something we need to develop.

“We haven’t had a problem scoring goals. We got three against Liverpool, Everton and West Ham, two away at Fulham, three in the Community Shield; that suggests we don’t have difficulty finding the net.

“What we’re not doing, though, is killing teams off. I have no doubt the players have taken these setbacks on board. They suffer just as much – if not more – than the rest of us.

“They’re the ones throwing the points away and they’re the ones who know that they’re good enough to win this league.”

United have been criticised for some of their performances this season but Ferguson said: “We’re playing well, and perhaps those four points we have dropped away from home at Fulham and Everton have given off something of a false impression.”

Meanwhile, Ferguson has revealed he is likely to recall midfielder Tom Cleverley from his loan spell at Wigan in January.

Ferguson believes the 21-year-old may be ready to challenge for a spot in the United team this season.