According to former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis, who spoke to Sport Express (as per qouted by Albawaba), the Red Devils are unlikely to make the top four this season. His revelation just adds to the pressure on INEOS to make bold decisions to turn things around at Old Trafford.
Manchester United must have hoped for a comeback this season following their struggles in 2023-24, where injuries held them back. INEOS allowed Erik Ten Hag to bolster his technical bench, with René Hake and Ruud van Nistelrooy joining as his assistants.
In addition to revamping the technical bench, United made level-raising signings such as Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Manuel Ugarte. While everything pointed to United regaining its competitive edge, it hasn't.
7 league games into the season, United has struggled exactly as much as they did last season, with just 2 victories, 2 draws, and 3 losses. However, there remains optimism that things will improve, which likely explains INEOS's decision to stick with Ten Hag.
Manchester United Risk Missing Out on Top 4
Andrei Kanchelskis, who was at Manchester United from 1991 to 1995, believes the club will continue to struggle. He believes United will fail to make the Premier League top four and that, like Spartak Moscow, the Manchester Reds may have had good moments in the past but are currently in serious trouble.
Though he does not finger Ten Hag for United's struggles, he suggests something needs to change at Old Trafford if United is to compete for anything.
"Today I see that the team will not enter the top four, and for such a club this is a disaster. So this season will again be pivotal for Manchester. They can now be compared with Spartak Mosocw — clubs with a huge history, which have a lot of problems. I say what I see: in order for these teams to fight for something, you need to change something. Therefore, the analogy is suitable."Andrei Kanchelskis
The anticipation among United fans this season was that they would return to the top four after failing to do so the previous season. They finished eighth last season and had nearly not had a chance to play in Europe, but they were fortunate to win the FA Cup, which earned them a spot in the 2024-25 Europa League.
Currently 14th in the league table, Kanchelskis suggests that something needs to happen at Manchester United because if they do, one can imagine they still have a chance of making the PL top four. Hopefully, following the international break, the Manchester United versus Brentford fixture could be the turning point for Ten Hag's United.