When questioned about Manchester United’s prospects of qualifying for the Champions League the following season, captain Bruno Fernandes was straightforward.
Bruno Fernandes acknowledged that Manchester United would struggle to place in the top four following a depressing 3-1 loss in the derby.
Marcus Rashford gave United the lead early on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium, but a disastrous second half saw them lose the match. Manchester City were able to hold onto their bragging rights after defending their 3-0 victory at Old Trafford in October thanks to goals from Phil Foden and an injury-time goal from Erling Haaland.
Aston Villa extended their lead over United to eleven points with their thrilling five-goal victory over Luton Town on Saturday night; however, United still finished the weekend in sixth place. Erik ten Hag’s team has a limited amount of time left to overtake their Premier League rivals and guarantee a Champions League spot.
Fernandes stated after the match that United would struggle to get one of those coveted spots. However, the captain of United persisted in his belief that his team would not give up on their pursuit of a successful season finale.
We must concentrate on the future,” he stated to Manutd.com. We cannot achieve our goals by relying only on ourselves. We have no intention of hiding the fact that finishing in fourth place at the end of the season will get us into the Champions League, which is our ultimate goal.
We have to make every effort, no matter how hard it is, to get ready for our next home game. We know that our supporters will always be there for us. They have served as our inspiration and backers. We must go there and triumph in the upcoming match.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a part-owner who purchased a 27.7% stake from the Glazer family, has big plans for the team and isn’t going to let United’s slim prospects of making the Champions League the following season get in the way of him.
The petrochemicals billionaire and his team are reportedly considering replacing Ten Hag as manager prior to the start of the upcoming season. Ten Hag, the CEO of Ineos, has publicly expressed his intention to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City “off their perch.” Ten Hag’s stay on the team is not assured in the slightest.
If United doesn’t place in the top four, the Dutchman might lose his job, but they still have a chance to win the FA Cup before the season is out.
Ratcliffe’s unwillingness to openly back the former Ajax manager raises questions about whether Ten Hag’s job prospects would improve purely as a result of taking home the trophy. A number of names have been suggested as potential replacements, including Zinedine Zidane and Graham Potter.
