Manchester United are ‘weak and vulnerable’ in defence, claims Stoke ace Xherdan Shaqiri
XHERDAN SHAQIRI has branded Manchester United's defence as weak and vulnerable after Stoke held them to a 2-2 draw.
The Potters ended United's 100 per cent start to the season at the Bet365 Stadium through a Eric Choupo-Moting brace.
Jose Mourinho's men now face Shaqiri's old side Basel in the Champions League — and the forward has told his team-mates they have a chance against the creaky back four.
Shaqiri said: "Manchester United have weaknesses in their defence. Both the goals we scored are proof of this.
"Their defenders have problems ff you play fast and bravely against them. United are vulnerable at the back.
"We stood up to them both physically and with our ability. We did not hide away.
"Basel have to be bold against United. There is no point in them simply defending for 90 minutes, as United have so much class in attack they are bound to score at some time.
"Paul Pogba is almost impossible to dispossess, and he is very strong - but he sometimes tends to hold onto the ball for too long.
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"Basel's coach Raphael Wicky has to get his team to play with courage and take some risks.
"Simply to defend won't be good enough. He knows this full well."
Shaqiri spent 11 years at the Swiss club before spells at Bayern Munich and Inter Milan.
But Shaqiri — who joined Stoke for £12million two years ago — warned Basel they face a tough task against the super stars of United.
He added: "I'll be at the game for sure. Remo Gaugler, my former Under-15 coach, got me a ticket.
"Romelu Lukaku has huge presence and impact, and he is hard to predict. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a terrific player with an excellent final pass.
"David de Gea is a world-class keeper, strong between the sticks and with the ball at his feet. He is very calm - maybe even too much so.
"I admire Jose Mourinho. He doesn't care what people think of him.
"He is a wily fox with his tactics, and knows what it takes to build the ideal team.
"It will be very tough for Basel. Especially at Old Trafford, where United play more dominantly than in away games.
"Basel will have to deal with the atmosphere as well. To my mind Old Trafford is one of the best grounds in the world."
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