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Gary Neville has warned Manchester United that they face a critical month for their season after noticing a warning sign from their win over Leeds at the weekend.

Man Utd survived a scare from their rivals on Sunday when going 2-0 up only to be pegged back to 2-2. However, they eventually added two more goals to win it 4-2. It was the response they needed after a difficult week off the pitch.

Leeds have generally provided a tough test for top-half opponents since their return to the Premier League. Now, Man Utd will be preparing for further challenges against sides at a similar standing to themselves.

A fixture against Watford should be simpler for their final league game of February. But in March, they will play against Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

According to Gary Neville, Ralf Rangnick must foresee that he will not be guiding his side to maximum points. However, if they can become more robust – and avoid scares like what happened against Leeds – it would be better for them.

Neville told his podcast: “Manchester United do have vulnerabilities. David De Gea has made 92 saves, which is the most in the Premier League, with Illan Meslier, the Leeds goalkeeper, second. It is not a good reflection on these teams.

“Manchester United have got to become more difficult to play against. They are playing Atletico Madrid away [in the Champions League] on Wednesday; they have got Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester City coming up. It is a big month and that month is going to define the season in terms of finishing in the top four and progressing in the Champions League.

“There is a lot of stuff coming out on a continuous basis: the captaincy; who they want as the next manager; cliques in the dressing room. All that sort of stuff comes out, but they do continue to keep having those big moments in matches where their brilliant players can still deliver for them and they do win games in moments.

“But the test is now the next month. This period was always going to come and it is here. That was the start of it and I thought it was a really difficult game. Leeds are a team who do invite you on to try and score goals against them. But it is still one of the most difficult places for Manchester United to come.

“They have got to stop those mad moments, those five-minute periods where they concede two goals, because if you concede two against City, Liverpool or Atletico, you are out of the game. I think this [the game against Leeds] is a warning sign.”

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Gary Neville: ‘Inconceivable’ Man Utd will get full points in March

Now, they must heed those warnings when they face even tougher challenges next month. Neville thinks it is virtually impossible to gain maximum points. Indeed, he thinks the upcoming run of fixtures would have been tough in any year.

Although there are still concerns about stability, he thinks they are almost on track in terms of points.

The pundit added: “Manchester United needed these points in the bag. It is inconceivable that, coming out of Tottenham at home, Manchester City away and Liverpool away that they are going to get seven to nine points.

“As a United fan, I hope they do. But they could easily come out of those three games with four points or five points or three points; you don’t know. They are the type of games in any season over the last five or 10 years you could lose.

“If you are Ralf Rangnick, you have got to plan that you are going to drop points in those three matches, not that you would foresee it or want it, but it could happen. These points that he has got from these last few matches will be needed. Arsenal have still got games in hand, as have Tottenham. There’s a long way to go, but Manchester United are in a decent position.

“If you had said to me when Rangnick took over with the run of fixtures that they have got, this is where I would have wanted them to have been, maybe a point or two in front. I still don’t think it is plain-sailing and I still think it could turn quite quickly as I don’t think it is stable behind the scenes at all.

“I’m looking forward to [Atletico] Madrid on Wednesday and I hope Manchester United can have a good game. But they have got to come back and do the business on the weekends. It is really important they get that fourth-place spot.”

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