Neville: United Do Not Panic

History proves that Manchester United do not panic in times of trouble and Phil Neville is adamant the Reds can turn a corner over the Christmas period.

The champions suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Everton on Wednesday night, a fourth loss of the Premier League season that leaves David Moyes’ men in ninth place. The result also brought an end to a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

However, speaking before the match in an exclusive interview with United Review, the matchday programme at Old Trafford, Neville outlined his belief that United are still capable of joining a title race that is yet to be seized by one of the leading contenders.

"Arsenal have probably been the outstanding team at the moment, but you also know that it’s a long season and we’ve got the experience," the United coach explained. "We’ve not panicked after West Brom, we’ve not panicked after losing 4-1 in the derby; we know there are going to be setbacks. City have had them, Chelsea have had them. It’s how you recover from the setbacks.

"We know we’re going to go on a run. We can go 20 games unbeaten at any time and the rest of the league knows we can do that. That’s a powerful position to be in, knowing that there’s the confidence in the dressing room to batten down the hatches, concentrate and go on a run.

"That’s what we need to do and we’ve got the experience that knows we’re capable of doing that. The squad’s fantastic. We’ve got so many players of international quality. The competition’s so tough and the intensity in training is sky high."