Liverpool legend Michael Owen has sent out a warning to Manchester United regarding their hopes of finishing in the top six this season.
As quoted by The Sun, Michael Owen has claimed in an interview with ESPN, that Manchester United could be in with a fight to finish inside the top six this season. The Liverpool legend has fired a warning shot at the Red Devils over their form, coaxing them to improve it to stand a chance of retaining European football for next season.
It has already been a mixed bag of a season for Manchester United. 2019-20 started with hope following a promising pre-season campaign. The Premier League campaign began with a bang as well, with United handing Chelsea a 4-0 thumping on the opening weekend.
But, the subsequent three results have hardly been ideal for Manchester United, who have failed to notch up a win since Gameweek 1. While there were positive signs on show in the 1-1 draw against Wolves, the loss to Crystal Palace at home as well as the stalemate with Southampton right before the international break has sapped all the momentum.
With club football set to resume this weekend, Manchester United will be eager to return to winning ways, seeing as they already lag behind league leaders Liverpool by 7 points. And, Michael Owen has warned the record English champions over their faltering form. The Liverpool legend has claimed that their slipping form could send United out of top six come the end of the season.
Speaking to ESPN (h/t The Sun), he said, “It’s strange isn’t it because a lot of people were saying ‘can United finish top four?’ at the start of the year. And now after an average start everyone’s saying ‘can it be top six?’ Of course they can, of course they can, they can still finish top four if they have a good time.”
“But there’s plenty of other good teams now in the Premier League and plenty of teams trying to catch those top six positions, so it does remain to be seen. On current form, on current results, it’s not going well. But they’re certainly going to win more games than they lose so you’d have to think that the top six is very realistic.”
Owen’s comments do make sense, with several midtable clubs making major upgrades to their squad this past summer. Leicester City are already up there among the top teams in the league, while Wolves showed last season that they can go toe-to-toe with the best of sides.
If Manchester United continue to stutter post the international break, they could soon be playing a catch-up game that they might not be able to win. A win against newfound “rivals” Leicester this weekend will thus, be imperative for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer & co. to get the confidence back in the camp and get back on track in the top four race.