Manchester United legends believe Top 4 finish out of reach
It is unlikely for the Manchester United to secure a top four finish in the Premier League this season.
Those were the thoughts of club legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville, who were here in Singapore on Saturday (8 April) for the opening launch of Café Football, a football-themed café located at Woodleigh Park.
Both former players are minority shareholders in the business and are also its spokesmen.
United are currently sixth in the league with 54 points, seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City and nine behind Liverpool in third, although they have games in hand.
Struggle for Champions League spot
Two successive draws at Old Trafford against West Brom and Everton last week, however, saw the club fail to make up ground in the race for the Champions League spots.
With just nine games to go in the season, and four of the matches against clubs ahead of them in the table, Giggs and Neville both believe that United’s best chance of qualifying for the Champions League is by winning the Europa League.
“I think it will be very difficult to do that (qualifying for the Champions League) in the Premier League with the games they have left,” said the 42-year-old Neville.
“Very simply, United have been inconsistent. They should have won many matches and many points that they dropped, and I think, looking at it, the next couple of months will determine whether United’s season is successful or not.
“I think there’s a chance in the Europa League, and the games against Anderlecht are very important to the club.”
Giggs , who holds the record for having the most appearances with the Red Devils, added: “If you asked most United fans at the beginning of the season, winning a trophy and getting into the Champion League would mean a successful season given where the club is at the moment.
“We are still on track to do that – we’ve won a competition and while I think it will be tough to get into the top four now, we’ve still got a great chance to win the Europa League, which is obviously a way of getting into the Champions League,” said the 43-year-old.
On Mourinho and Luke Shaw
Neville also stated his belief that Luke Shaw, who was recently criticised heavily in public by Jose Mourinho, can be the “best left-back in the club” if he puts his mind into it.
Shaw, 21, was signed by the club in 2014 for £30 million, but has so far failed to realise his potential with injuries hampering his time at the club. The highly rated youngster has struggled under Jose Mourinho this season, with appearances not coming by easily.
Neville appeared to agree with Mourinho’s criticism, although he has backed Shaw to take on the challenge.
“Harsh words were given to Luke for a reason,” Neville said. “At the end of the day, I think Jose Mourinho wants a response and a challenge has been set down.
“I think he’s a better left-back than (Marcos) Rojo, (Matteo) Darmian and (Daley) Blind. If he can stay fit, focus and concentrate, then he’s the best left-back in the club and one of the best left-backs in the country.
“So if he does that then it’s exciting for him but he has to respond to the challenge that has been thrown at him because they were harsh words and he will have to get over those words.”
