Michael Owen thinks Man Utd duo Fred and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are both to “blame” after the Brazilian was sent off in their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Man Utd looked well placed to secure that vital point after Marcus Rashford cancelled out Neymar’s early stunner, but Marquinhos and Neymar goals either side of Fred’s belated sending off saw PSG run out 3-1 victors at Old Trafford.
Fred somehow avoided a red card after pushing his head into Leandro Paredes’ midway through the first half.
MAILBOX: Go now, Solskjaer. And take De Gea with you…
Referee Daniele Orsato only gave a yellow card despite reviewing the decision on the monitor before Fred was eventually sent off in the second half for another booking.
With Fred perhaps fortunate to avoid a second yellow card before the break, Owen reckons Solskjaer should’ve done more to protect “pathetic” Fred.
Speaking about Fred and his red card, Owen told BT Sport: “Mistakes all around really.
“It [the clash with Paredes] was a red card. You’re a grown man, you don’t need to do a petulant thing like that to put your team at risk.
“If I was a manager, and one of my players did that, he would never play for me again. It’s pathetic.
“Overall you have to blame Fred but also Solskjaer. The manager has to protect him and the team in that situation so they’re both to blame.”
Man Utd will face RB Leipzig in their final Champions League group stage clash with the victors grabbing a place in the knockout stages, although the Red Devils would go through with a draw.
On the Red Devils’ chances in Germany, Owen added: “PSG are going to go through so basically it’s a shootout between Manchester United and RB Leipzig. Both teams can score but both teams look vulnerable. United should not go there with any fear.
“I think they will score goals in Germany so I still fancy Manchester United to get a draw or a win but they’ve made it dangerous for themselves.”