Wayne Rooney does not think Manchester United have the consistency or the stability to secure a top-four spot this season, and Rio Ferdinand is worried about their upcoming match against Liverpool.
The Red Devils narrowed the gap to fifth-placed Tottenham to just three points following a 2-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday – although Spurs have two games in hand, starting with fourth-placed Aston Villa on Sunday.
United had a somewhat messy performance against the Toffees despite winning, allowing 23 shots, and were reliant on Alejandro Garnacho for earning two first-half penalties – converted by Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.
Despite the victory, Ferdinand believes that United are depending on the teams above them dropping points, while Rooney is even more pessimistic and thinks his former club is not playing well enough to sustain a top-four challenge.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: ‘I believe Man United will be hoping for a draw in [Villa vs Tottenham] They don’t want either of those teams to pull away.
‘But I think Man United right now need to just focus on themselves. Rack up the wins and hope the teams above them start losing points at some stage.
‘So Man United have unfortunately put themselves in this position now and they’re going to have to rely on other teams to have a chance of making it to the Champions League.’
United have faced 134 shots in their last six games and when asked if that level of vulnerability at the back is sustainable in a top-four race, Rooney replied: ‘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.’
Ferdinand added: ‘You can’t keep doing that at this level. You can get away with it for games here and there but ultimately, you’re going to get caught and you’re going to get punished.
‘Unfortunately, Man United are not a team that dominates enough of the ball to stop teams at the moment. Yes, like Wayne said, the chances given up weren’t clear-cut, but the way you play football is about preventing the opposition from having any type of chance on goal.
‘Listen, they’re going to play against Liverpool [in the FA Cup quarter-final]. If they play like that against Liverpool, that open, with those spaces. The spaces around Casemiro were huge.
‘If they do that, and they have transitions like they had against Everton today, you’re playing against better finishers, more confident finishers and more efficient in Liverpool players, it will be a different story at the end of the game.'
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