John O’ Shea, the current Sunderland defender, helped his side gain three important points to sail away from the relegation zone with a win against his former club Manchester United.
The defender helped their side secure a 2-1 win against the Red Devils at the Stadium of Light, leading the defence with beaming confidence. The Irish international has been of the view that the playing standards of his former club have dropped immensely, and they aren’t the same United which would instill fear in the opposite side.
“They don’t have as many players as they used to and while they’re still a good team, United are not challenging where they want to be on the table. Because of the season they’re having and the amount of injuries they’ve got, it’s difficult for them,” the 34-year-old veteran defender told The Express.
The club which set standards of excellence in the league under Sir Alex Ferguson’s leadership now have to witness times when their new hope of getting Champions League action next season is winning the Europa League.
If Louis Van Gaal’s men manage to finish in the top four, it’ll be considered a good season
Manchester United had more possession than the Black Cats, but didn’t threaten their opponents as much as was the case vice-versa.
O’Shea could never fathom during his time at Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson that qualifying for Champions League would become a problem for the club.
“That is the given beforehand when you look at the squad and the budgets and what is spent to get there,” he added.
Manchester United have won only three of their last ten Premier League fixtures, lost four and drawn three. They currently occupy the 5th spot of the league table, trailing league leaders Leicester City FC by 12 points and are 6 points behind arch-rivals, who are 4th on the league table, with 12 games to left in the season.