Paul Ince: 'Manchester United have been bullied'

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince has admitted that the club have been "bullied" this season.

The ex-England captain, who spent six years at Old Trafford, also stated that the club lack natural born leaders.

"I hate to say it but they got bullied. Alan Pardew had done his homework. The two big guys up front won the battles all over the pitch," Ince told The Sun.

"United should never be bullied, teams should never be too aggressive for Man United. The enforcers are leaving the game, like Bryan Robson, myself, Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira, Manu Petit, Steve McMahon, you don't get them.

"They were brought up through their backgrounds which were tough and Steven Gerrard is probably the last one. They are a dying breed."

Manchester United travel to rivals City in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.