Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane and Gary Neville were both in agreement over where Manchester United will finish in the Premier League table this season.
Manchester United secured all three Premier League points on Sunday with a convincing 3-0 win over West Ham at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are now unbeaten in five matches across all competitions, with United facing an uphill back to secure a top-four Premier League finish.
United are sixth in the Premier League table after 23 matches, with the Red Devils six points adrift of fourth-place Tottenham and eight behind fourth-place Aston Villa.
Erik ten Hag’s men still remain in the FA Cup and punched their ticket to the fifth round after their 4-2 away win against League Two side Newport County last month.
The Red Devils boss will know all too well that United need to fight for Champions League football for next season and a top-four finish will be a top priority.
Ten Hag already saw United’s Carabao Cup title defence fall short earlier this season and the Red Devils crashed out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion.
Keane and Neville on United’s league finish
Speaking on Sky Sports, Roy Keane claimed that it would be a “positive” end to Manchester United’s season if they managed a fifth-place finish in the league.
Gary Neville echoed Keane’s sentiments and believes that Erik ten Hag’s men could finish fifth, effectively ruling out a top-four Premier League finish.
The Sky Sports pundit added that United would need to rely on either Villa or Tottenham to “slip up” if they wanted to finish fifth in the league table.
“A positive end for them this season would be finishing fifth and getting back into the Champions League if that’d be enough for them to do so,” Keane said.
“I think they have enough, they have one or two important players back, which’ll help them balance the squad out, but most importantly, they’re scoring goals again.
“They’ve been giving away sloppy goals but the fact that the attacking players are scoring, it helps them because the lack of goals was very surprising to me in the first half of the season.”
Neville added: “Roy said it that fifth is the best I think they could ever possibly do.
“One of those teams, Aston Villa or Tottenham, would have to slip up because I don’t think they’re anywhere near Arsenal, City or Liverpool – those teams are gone.”
Keane’s warning to Ten Hag
Keane suggested that Ten Hag was ‘on trial’ at United this season after Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe captured his minority stake in the Premier League club.
The United legend believes that the pressure could mount on Ten Hag if the Red Devils don’t secure the FA Cup trophy or Champions League football for next season.
“It’s a harsh word to use, ‘on trial,’ because most managers are under pressure, but when you’re Manchester United manager, that pressure comes,” Keane said.
“Is he on trial? Yes, he probably is until the end of the season.
“If he doesn’t get his hands on the FA Cup or get into the Champions League, that pressure will be building.”
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