Gary Neville says Manchester United have a real chance of finishing third in the Premier League this season as they continued their unbeaten start under manager Michael Carrick.
On Monday Night Football, Benjamin Sesco came off the bench to score his third goal in his third game, clinching a 1-0 win against Everton. In the other game, United did not play well but did not lose.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United.
The goal moved United into fourth place in the Premier League table, three points behind fifth-placed Chelsea, who dropped points at home to Burnley on Saturday.
Neville backs United’s return to the Champions League, with Unai Emery’s side, Chelsea and Liverpool all set to play in the European knock-offs in March, with just three points separating them from third-placed Aston Villa.
Can Man United break into third place?
Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast: “There was a period of about five or six weeks where we kept thinking they could finish in the top four but they didn’t. And now they have. They have a great chance to finish in the top four.”
“I think it will happen. Other teams are starting to play in Europe and there are distractions. United don’t have any distractions.
“It doesn’t mean anything. They haven’t played for two weeks and they haven’t played particularly well here (Everton). But I just think they’re starting to get over the line playing games they wouldn’t have done before.”
“I think they could finish third, I really think they could finish third. I said a few weeks ago that I thought Villa might fall back a little bit.”
“These teams have European football in front of them and that’s a big distraction. Manchester United don’t have that so I think they’re in a decent position.”
“If you look at the players there, they’re celebrating and they seem to be in a good mood. They’re winning when they’re playing well, they’re winning when they’re not playing well, they’re getting points even when they didn’t play well at West Ham, so all the right things are starting to happen.”
Manchester United remain unbeaten under manager Michael Carrick
“They are doing really well, so I think they will finish third or fourth.
“I’ve probably said many times over the last three months that Manchester United have no chance of winning the Champions League, but it’s just a strange season.
“Teams are dropping points. Chelsea dropped points against Burnley on Saturday, Villa dropped points. Liverpool clearly won in the end, but I certainly think United are getting there now and that would be a big move considering where they were last season.”
“I think it would be a big move to get into the Champions League given where they were a few weeks ago. Obviously when they sacked the manager, you never think for the life of them that they can go and beat Arsenal and Manchester City and the others that they’ve beaten in the last few weeks. The total points that were collected was unbelievable.”
“And I think they are in pole position now, although I wouldn’t say they are clear favorites to win, within the top four.”
Carragher: Manchester United guaranteed Champions League place
Jamie Carragher has gone further than his colleague Neville, insisting Manchester United are “guaranteed” to finish in the Champions League this season.
Carragher also believes the shorter schedule will ensure a return to Europe’s elite competition.
“Manchester United are virtually guaranteed,” Carragher told Monday Night Football.
“Aston Villa seem to be dropping points at the moment and they have European football coming up on Thursday night.
“Liverpool and Chelsea are both still in the Champions League and the FA Cup and will be hoping to do well in at least one of those competitions, either the semi-final or the final.
“I can’t imagine Manchester United not winning the championship.”
What does a supercomputer say?
Despite Neville and Carragher’s claims, United are currently expected to finish fifth in the Premier League.
Opta’s supercomputer says they have a lower chance of finishing in the top four this season than Aston Villa or Liverpool.
Despite their recent downturn, Villa have an 86.4 per cent chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, with Liverpool the next best team on 48.1 per cent. United are just behind Arne Slott’s side on 42.3.
However, based on the English team’s performance in this season’s European tournaments, there is a high possibility that the fifth place team will qualify for next season’s Champions League.
UEFA’s coefficient table measures how each country’s clubs perform in Europe’s three competitions. The top two finishers at the end of the campaign will be awarded an additional Champions League spot, known as the European Performance Spot.
England is the only country where all teams are still active in European competition, with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in the knockout phase of the play-offs in the Europa League and Conference League respectively, and facing Newcastle in the Champions League.
With so much European football still to be played this season, England are not yet mathematically guaranteed to finish in the top two on the coefficient table. Last season’s top two positions were not confirmed until April.
However, Opta believes this is already a done deal. Their expected points model gives England a 100% chance of achieving a top-two finish.
