Paul Scholes has highlighted two Manchester United stars who could be key players for Erik ten Hag’s bid to secure a top-four Premier League finish this season.
Manchester United are undefeated in their last three Premier League matches, with the Red Devils picking up a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Red Devils’ win at Villa Park has kept Erik ten Hag’s men in the race for the Premier League top four and in their bid to secure Champions League football.
United are sixth in the Premier League table and the Red Devils are five points adrift from fifth-place Villa and six points behind fourth-place Tottenham after 24 matches.
Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, who has scored in four consecutive Premier League matches now, fired United into a first-half lead at Villa Park.
Douglas Luiz scored an equaliser for Villa in the second half, only for Scott McTominay to come off the bench and score the winner in the 86th minute.
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Scholes on Man Utd’s top-four ambitions
Manchester United’s last two Premier League fixtures for February will be an away trip to Luton Town before they host Fulham at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag has already warned his United players they must avoid any slipups if the Red Devils want to climb into the top four before the end of the season.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Paul Scholes insisted that former Real Madrid duo Casemiro and Raphael Varane are important for United’s first team.
The United legend said experienced veteran players like Casemiro and Varane make a “big difference” when they’re played alongside the younger cohort in the team.
“I’ve felt in the last two or three weeks that with all the players back they’ve got a chance of top four and I think they will get into it because they’ve got that a bit of experience coming back into the team,” Scholes explained.
“They’ve got a lot of young players, but when you’ve got a Casemiro and a Varane next to them, it makes a big difference to your team, a little bit of quality.
“And sometimes it doesn’t matter how they play, sometimes it’s just about having their names around. People look at them and go, ‘Oh they’ve got a proper team.’”
Scholes talks Man Utd and Champions League
Scholes stressed the importance for a team like United to compete for the title and push for a Champions League place rather than being a “Europa League team.”
However, the former United midfielder believes that the Red Devils’ turnaround in form since January has made a top-four finish “still possible.”
“We live in hope that we are going to be a Champions League team,” Scholes said.
“We don’t want to be a Europa League team, it’s all about [the] Champions League for Manchester United and it should be. It should be about competing for the title.
“Now at this point, they’re nowhere near that, but top four is still possible. It’s a long way to go, if they get beat today, it’s 11 points and you’d think it’s too far. Today will go a long way to deciding if they can do it.
“Villa are a good team but I still think they are capable of going on a run that’s bad that can help Manchester United. United, with players coming back into the team, could be more consistent towards the end of the season. I think they can win a lot of games.”
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