Manchester United defender Ashley Young says expectations were low under Jose Mourinho at thebeginning of the season, adding that the Old Trafford side would have happily taken their current position in the league back in October last year.
Ashley Young reckons the battle for a top-four spot will go right until the last day of the season. Just four points separate Tottenham , Arsenal , Manchester United and Chelsea , as the Premier League season enters the home straight.
Two of those sides will lose out in the battle to secure a coveted Champions League spot and United skipper Young reckons the fight will go right to the wire.
United were 11 points adrift of the top four when Jose Mourinho was sacked on December 18, but caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskajer has hauled them to within two points of fourth-placed Arsenal.
Asked if the top-four may not be decided until the final day, Young said: “Yeah, of course, but I think there are so many points to pick up, so many games left. For me, if we were talking back in October, saying that we were going to be fighting for fourth place, we would have taken that with where we were.
“But, on a personal level, and everyone in the dressing room, I think the club a size of United should be higher up the league and that’s where I see it.
“But right now, obviously, we’re talking about finishing in the top four and we’re going to do everything we can to do that.”
Arsenal look to have the easiest run-in of the teams in the race for the top four, with Unai Emery’s side not facing any of the top six in their remaining eight games, while the rest each play two of the top six.
Neymar could be hit with a Champions League ban after UEFA opened an investigation on Wednesday into his foul-mouthed social media outburst about the refereeing during Paris Saint-Germain’s controversial exit to Manchester United last week.
Injured Brazil forward Neymar told match officials to “Go fuck yourselves” on Instagram after watching on incredulous from the sidelines at the Parc des Princes as United were awarded a decisive stoppage-time penalty for a debateable handball via the video assistant referee (VAR) system, allowing Marcus Rashford to fire United into the quarter-finals on away goals.
“It’s a disgrace. They get four guys who don’t understand football to watch a slow motion replay in front of the TV,” Neymar wrote in Portuguese on the social media website.