Alan Shearer has criticised Manchester United’s fitness, intensity and overall performance after they began the 2026-27 season with a 2-0 defeat by newly promoted Hull City on Saturday.
The former England striker described United as “poor in every position” after watching them struggle to match Hull’s energy and pressing in the opening game of the campaign.
Speaking on Match of the Day on BBC Radio 5 Live, Shearer said: “I didn’t see Manchester United in pre-season. I saw them in this game and they look unfit, they look nowhere near ready to play 90 minutes of high-intensity, high-pressing, high-energy football. There was only one team that looked fit out there and it wasn’t Manchester United.”
United were unable to impose themselves against a Hull side making its return to the top flight, with Shearer arguing that the visitors had failed to meet the most basic physical demands of the contest.
“They were awful. A poor team in every position,” he added.
Shearer said United should at least have been capable of matching the promoted side’s intensity from the start, regardless of any tactical or technical shortcomings.
“The minimum requirement of Manchester United against a promoted team was to match Hull’s energy and their press from the first minute,” he said. “They didn’t do that.”
His assessment focused not only on United’s quality in possession but also on the lack of urgency and defensive organisation shown across the match. He argued that the difference between the two sides was visible throughout both halves, with United failing to respond to the demands of the game.
“There was no intensity, no closing down, no hunger,” Shearer concluded.
The result leaves Manchester United with an immediate need to respond when they face another promoted club in their second league fixture. Their next match is against Ipswich Town on Sunday, 30 August.
Shearer’s comments came after a performance in which, in his view, United appeared physically unprepared for the speed and pressure of competitive football. Rather than controlling the match or setting the tempo, they were outworked by Hull City, who took advantage of the gap in energy and commitment.
For Shearer, the defeat was therefore not simply a poor result on the opening weekend. He saw it as evidence of wider problems affecting United across the pitch, from their physical condition to their defensive pressure and desire to compete.
United will now have to face another newly promoted opponent in Ipswich Town, with Shearer’s criticism placing further focus on whether the team can improve its fitness, intensity and organisation before the next game.
