Manchester United’s 0-0 draw at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday typified their season – they had an opportunity to close the gap on the top four and they failed to do so.
As a result, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side is five points off the Champions League places and was overtaken by Tottenham Hotspur over the weekend, after Jose Mourinho’s side beat Manchester City.
The Red Devils have now failed to score in each of their last three Premier League games and four of their five in 2020. Marcus Rashford’s back injury is proving to be a real pain in the back for United.
A trip to Derby County in the FA Cup should bring renewed optimism. Victory over the struggling Championship side would book a quarter-final tie and from there it’s anyone’s game. Lifting a trophy would certainly end the season on a high.
As for United, the club could really do with a top four finish. That’s starting to look more and more unlikely though. The inconsistency of the side has been a huge setback this season, whilst Tottenham has improved under their new manager in recent weeks. Bookmakers are currently giving odds of 8/1 on Manchester United finishing in the top four to give you an idea of the tough task ahead of Solksjaer and his side. Though if you feel this is good value then BetEasy is currently offering the best price that we can find.
In order to save the 2019-2020 campaign, qualifying for next season’s Champions League is a must. Not just the fortune that the competition brings, but the prestige of the competition would give the side a greater ability to attract top players to the club over the season. On top of that they would be preventing rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur from qualifying.
Whether United can do that certainly remains to be seen, but loan signing Odion Ighalo has added some more depth up top which they have been really lacking in recent weeks during Rashford’s injury. If the former Watford man can find the net as frequently as he has been doing in China, then anything is possible.
Many Manchester United fans are looking forward to the end of the season in hopes to appoint Mauricio Pochettino for next season.
The former Spurs manager will certainly give United fans hope for the future. After guiding Tottenham to three consecutive Champions League campaigns and last season’s final, the Argentine’s tactical nous could immediately restore some pride, and ultimately, some silverware to Old Trafford.
The club made a huge statement by signing Bruno Fernandes last week. Now it’s a case of finding a manager who can get the best out of the many talents they have on their books.