Sam Allardyce slams Manchester United’s ‘shocking’ defence and hails Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta

Sam Allardyce believes Manchester United’s ‘shocking’ defence is the team’s biggest issue, while the former England manager has heaped praise on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

United and Arsenal are currently battling for the final Champions League spot, currently sitting fifth and sixth respectively in the Premier League.

Manchester United moved into the top-four last month but have dropped points in their last two games against Burnley and Southampton to slip back behind West Ham.

Allardyce believes United have the ‘most talented’ squad in the league outside of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea but says the team will continue to struggle due to their ‘shocking’ defence.

‘The question is, can Manchester United – with the biggest and probably the most talented squad outside of the top three – come together and produce a run of games where they’re not going to throw silly points away,’ Allardyce told Ladbrokes.

‘Ralf Rangnick is finding it difficult to get the right balance between attack and defence at the minute. I find United’s defending absolutely shocking at the moment.

‘David de Gea has made more saves than just about every other goalkeeper in the Premier League this season – that just shows you where Man United’s problems lie.

‘As a manager, it’s your responsibility to put that right. If he puts it right, he could pinch that fourth spot – but if nothing changes then they’re obviously going to find it difficult.

‘I know that traditionally you’ve got to attack, attack, attack at Man United, but no team can attack without great defensive work.

‘It doesn’t matter what position you’re in in the table, you can’t underestimate the value of a strong defence. If you want to win the league, you’ve got to have the best defensive