Manchester United 'lack names and quality' says Stoke striker Peter Odemwingie

The Potters are ready to attack Louis van Gaal's men on Tuesday because a visit to the Theatre of Dreams is no longer an intimidating away day

Hanging on: Louis van Gaal has faced fierce criticism from fans and media alike

Manchester United are short of “names”, “quality” and “leaders”, says Stoke striker Peter Odemwingie.
Louis van Gaal’s side are fourth in the Premier League table, but their disappointing results and lacklustre performances have kept them – and their manager’s future – permanently in the spotlight.
They face the ninth-placed Potters at Old Trafford on Tuesday night and a visit to the one-time Theatre of

Dreams is clearly not the intimidating away day it once was.
Odemwingie said: “There was a lot more quality there, they had real leaders on the team, they expected more qualitywise. Now they’ve lost that.

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“Many teams go through that. When you lose a generation of players it’s hard to then get a new set that will produce the same way. I think the process they are going through is rebuilding.
“They are not the club they were – they don’t have the names, the quality they used to have.
“They look more shy than usual. They don’t take as much risk as we know them to do so people take advantage of that and go for it when they play against them now.”

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Mark Hughes’ side beat his old club 2-0 at the Britannia on Boxing Day during United’s eight-match winless run.
The Red Devils’ results have improved since the New Year, but doubts over van Gaal’s future have meant a quiet transfer window.

And Odemwingie expects new arrivals at Old Trafford before the club can return to its glory days.
He said: “It’s a turning point for a big club like that.
“They have all the resources, they just need to do the right recruitment probably and go through this difficult stage and get back to the heights they are used to.”

Bench-warmer: Odemwingie has been a bit-part player this season 

A fringe player for the Potters this season despite signing a new one-year deal in the summer, the Nigeria international is likely to take a backseat once again after his FA Cup run-out at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
But he and the rest of the Stoke squad are aiming for their best-ever Premier League finish, well-placed in ninth.

Odemwingie said: “We are a very good team and now a force to be reckoned with, everybody knows that.
“We can produce against the big clubs so hopefully that’s what we’ll do in the second half of the season.”