‘Man Utd need rivals to sh*t themselves again’ – Teams aren’t scared of Red Devils, says Berbatov

Manchester United have lost their fear factor, says Dimitar Berbatov, with the Red Devils needing to find a way of making rivals “sh*t themselves in the tunnel” again.

There was a time not all that long ago when visitors to Old Trafford would be beaten before a ball was kicked.

The aura created by Sir Alex Ferguson’s all-conquering sides ensured that nobody fancied a trip to or visit from United.

That is no longer the case, with a humbling fall from grace having left the 13-time Premier League champions playing catch-up.

Berbatov, as a former Red Devils striker, admits something needs to be done about the mentality on the red half of Manchester, telling Betfair: “At the moment teams aren't scared of United. Can you blame them?

“Teams are seeing the results that United are getting and where they have been finishing in the last couple of years and they believe they have a chance to get the win and the three points against them.

“On Wednesday evening, I watched Rochdale play it out from the back at Old Trafford, showing how they didn't care that they were playing against United, they were so confident even though they made a couple of mistakes it didn't matter.

“United need to get back to when teams used to come to Old Trafford and sh*t themselves in the tunnel and hopefully they can put that fear back into the teams soon.”

It promises to be a long road back to the top for United, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently finding that out the hard way.

Questions are being asked of his suitability to a demanding role, but Berbatov wants to see a member of the club’s iconic 1999 Treble-winning squad given time in which to get things right.

The Bulgarian added: “The pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is there and the truth is it's a difficult situation.

“When you lose matches people want you out and when you win nobody says anything.

“For me United still need to give Solskjaer time, it's not possible for the coach to go every time there are a few bad results, the next one will come in and it will be the same, it's a vicious circle and you cannot escape that. So, they need to give him more time, the games and the standards haven't been there recently but I'm sure they are working hard on the training pitch.

“I sincerely hope that he can turn things around. I love him as a human, a football player and I want him to succeed as a coach. He is at the club where he is a legend, the club have given him a chance and he has great staff and people around him.

“It is a matter of time, let's not forget Sir Alex Ferguson won the league in his sixth season so it's a long process and it's not as easy as people think. You don't just go on the training ground and give the balls out and do exercise. There is a lot that a manager has to deal with.

“To get rid of him now would be a mistake. Of course, the coach depends on the results of the team, so he is actually depending on his players and he needs the results, everybody knows that. This is Manchester United and they need to win, it doesn't matter which competition.

“It would be a mistake if they try to replace him now but at the same time the manager depends on the results of the team. So from now until the end of next month, if Manchester United continue to lose and draw, it is going to be difficult to advocate and say they are working positively to turn things around. In that situation, what do you do?”

Things are not about to get any easier for United as their next Premier League outing, with just eight points taken from a possible 18 so far, is set to see them play host to old adversaries Arsenal.