Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney have both dropped their telling verdicts on whether or not they believe that Manchester United will finish in the Premier League top four.
Manchester United are currently sixth in the Premier League table and are eight points adrift from fourth-place Aston Villa with 10 league matches remaining.
Tottenham are six points clear of United and are only two points behind Aston Villa, though fifth-place Spurs have a match in hand.
Ange Postecoglou’s men boosted their top-four ambitions with a thumping 4-0 Premier League away win over Villa on Sunday.
United, meanwhile, returned to winning ways on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Everton in their Premier League clash at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag’s men had suffered defeat in their last two Premier League outings before the Everton match.
Ferdinand on Man Utd prediction
Manchester United had won four consecutive Premier League matches in February before Fulham inflicted a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils suffered a further setback in their top-four ambitions after being outclassed by Manchester City in a 3-1 defeat at the Etihad earlier this month.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the Everton match, Rio Ferdinand insisted that his former side should focus on themselves rather than other teams around them.
The 45-year-old United legend suggested that top four is out of United’s hands and the Red Devils will have to rely on other Premier League sides slipping up.
“‘I think Man United will be sitting there watching [Villa vs Tottenham] thinking, ‘Please be a draw!’ They don’t want either of those teams pulling away,” Ferdinand said, as per the Metro.
“But I think Man United right now need to just think about themselves. Chalk the wins off now and just hope the teams above them start dropping points at some point.
“So, Man United have unfortunately put themselves in this position now and they’re going to have to rely on other people to have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.”
Rooney on his Man Utd prediction
Wayne Rooney, who enjoyed incredible success in his United career, does not believe that Erik ten Hag’s side will finish in the top four this season.
The 38-year-old United legend is far from convinced with the Red Devils’ backline and insisted the weakness of the defence has been a reoccurring issue this season.
Rooney added that United would have to win “almost” every league match remaining for a shot of securing Champions League football for next season.
When asked if United could push for the top four with their current backline, he responded: “No, and I think that’s what we’ve seen throughout the season.
“I don’t think Manchester United will make the top four because they have to almost win every game.
“I think they’re a team that are very inconsistent and I can’t see them winning every game, so I think it’s going to be very difficult.
“Today, I think it was 20-odd chances against them, but there were no clear-cut chances for Everton.
“But it’s too many. There’s too many gaps, it’s too easy for teams to get opportunities against them.”
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