Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes that the Red Devils will miss out on Champions League qualification.
Manchester United are currently sixth in the league table, and they are pushing for a place in the top four. However, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have a substantial lead over the Red Devils, and Wayne Rooney believes that Manchester United will miss out on a top four finish this season.
Rooney told TNT Sports via Mirror, “No, it’s not sustainable and I think we’ve seen that throughout the seasons. I don’t think they’ll make the top four because they’ll have to win almost every game from now on and they’ve been so inconsistent that I can’t see them doing that.”
“Even today, they had 20-odd chances against them but there were no clear cut ones for Everton. [But] even then, it’s too many, too many chances for teams to punish them.”
Missing out on Champions League qualification would be a devastating blow for the Red Devils given the amount of money they spent in the summer. It is fair to assume that missing out on the top four could result in the sacking of Erik ten Hag as well.
The Dutchman was backed significantly during the summer transfer window, and Manchester United were expected to compete for trophies this season. Instead, they are having an underwhelming season.
Missing out on top four would be the end of Erik ten Hag
A club of their stature should be competing in the UEFA Champions League regularly and pushing for trophies. There is no doubt that Manchester United have quality players at their disposal, but ten Hag has not been able to get the best out of them so far.
Perhaps a managerial change would be ideal for Manchester United right now. A new manager could lift the spirits around the club and get the best out of the players once again. It remains to be seen from the situation develops. Meanwhile, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur have faced each other today, and Manchester United will certainly have hoped for both teams to drop points in the top-four race.
Manchester United could be set for a summer rebuild under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and it would have been ideal for them if they had secured top four qualification. Attracting quality players in the summer could prove to be quite challenging especially without Champions League football.
