TalkSport pundit Trevor Sinclair has given his thoughts on Manchester United and their aims for the rest of the season.
Manchester United blew their chance to take one step closer to securing a top-four space over the weekend as they drew 0-0 at home in a game that they thoroughly dominated with 67% possession and 22 total shots – both twice as much as their opponents.
Things then got worse for them as West Ham United scraped a 1-0 win on Sunday, which means that their lead in fourth place currently sits at just two, and with some tricky fixtures coming up in March, they are far from comfortable when it comes to qualifying for the Champions League next season.
Speaking on the TalkSport GameDay podcast, Sinclair discussed the Red Devils’ chances of making it into the top four, and hinted that it could have a pretty big effect on how things look for them moving forward if they aren’t able to make it there by the end of the campaign.
He said: “I can see a real jeopardy for them finishing in the top four, and that’s going to have massive repercussions going forward and their recruitment model.”
TIF Thoughts on Trevor Sinclair’s comments about Manchester United…
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Given the turmoil that has occasionally engulfed the club in recent months, managing to qualify for the top four and getting into the Champions League – which brings prestige and status to help attract players in the transfer market as well as the financial rewards – could be seen as the only way for Manchester United to make a success of this season, bar winning the trophy itself, which is far from a probability at this stage.
So to miss out on that as Sinclair hints at could seriously serve as a major risk for United as they head into a difficult summer that will likely see them go through some major changes – not just in the dugout, but also through a number of big players like Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani potentially leaving the club when their contracts expire.
And if they can’t do all that from the position of strength of sitting in the Champions League, then it may well affect not only the manager that they can attract, but also the kind of player that the new boss will be looking to bring in, so it’s vital that they make the top four this season or risk taking a major step back in the summer.
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