Gary Neville says Footballers' social media apologies mean nothing; says 'Go on TV or...'

Former Manchester United player Gary Neville slammed players like Bruno Fernandes for issuing an apology on social media, and called for more 'authenticity.' The Manchester United playmaker missed a vital penalty against Aston Villa in injury-time when his side were losing 1-0.

His penalty miss meant that the Red Devils took nothing away from the match and slipped to fourth place in the Premier League standings. After the disappointing performance and penalty miss, Fernandes took to his social media accounts and shared a long post in order to apologize for his penalty miss.

Bruno Fernandes' emotional Instagram post

Bruno Fernandes' emotional Instagram post read, "Nobody is more frustrated and disappointed than me for missing the penalty and the consequent defeat. I’ve always assumed my responsibilities and I've always embraced them under pressure in moments like this. Today, I failed. But I took a step forward and faced the challenge with the same ambition and responsibility as when, on the many other occasions, the ball ended up in the net."

Gary Neville slams Bruno Fernandes' apology

Since several players have apologized in recent times for their mistakes, Gary Neville wants their apologies to be more 'authentic.' Earlier, Manchester United teammate Jesse Lingard had posted a similar message after his error led to his side conceded a late goal in the UEFA Champions League against Young Boys.

In order to address the apologies, Neville tweeted two separate posts. In the first post, he slammed the 'apology culture,' stating that it does not come from 'a genuine place.' He went on to add that on most occasions, it is a 'diversion tactic designed to mask a crap performance by experts.'

In his second Tweet, he explained how such players should apologize if they are keen on doing so. The former Manchester United player wrote that if players want to say something after a game, they shall 'either go on TV or post a video on social media where everyone can see' it is them. Neville insists that doing so will help the apology seem more 'authentic' and 'genuine.'