Only one former Manchester United player is performing as a pundit

Gary Neville pulled his hood up as he walked through the Old Trafford press box and down the gangway to conduct a pre-match pitchside chat with Sky on Sunday.

There were 90 minutes to go until kick-off and the stadium was sparse. Some young fans requested a selfie with Neville, who obliged as he walked along the pitch after his piece for the camera.

Neville might have run the gauntlet if the stadium was fuller. His commentary of recent Manchester United games has not gone down well with plenty of Manchester United fans.

It is not just the crowd online, either. Matchgoers and sussed supporters have grown tired of some of Neville in the gantry. There was a noticeable backlash against his excessive criticism of United's performance in the 1-0 defeat at Tottenham last month.

Neville transformed punditry when he swapped the dressing room for the studio in 2011. Monday Night Football became a must-watch programme (and not for the football) as Neville innovatively dissected matches and incidents.

He seldom appears on that format now. Monday Night Football instead doubles as a job centre for out-of-work managers seeking a route back into the game. It worked for Graham Potter earlier in the season. Russell Martin was on it on Monday evening.

Sky's punditry standards are dwindling and maybe deliberately. Like BBC's focus on under 35s five years ago, there is an obsession with appealing to a younger audience and abandoning analysis.

The consensus is younger viewers are smartphone addicts who have short attention-spans, so broadcasters need a zinger or a viral clip. The American broadcaster CBS has pioneered this with their unwatchable Champions League coverage.

They have an excellent broadcaster, the former Sky Sports News