Following Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, club captain Bruno Fernandes has acknowledged the uphill battle the team faces in securing a top-four finish this season. With the gap now standing at 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, Fernandes recognizes the daunting task ahead.
“We need to look forward,” Fernandes told club media. “We don’t depend only on ourselves to get into the positions we want. We’re not hiding from that, we want to be in the Champions League and we want to try until the end of the season to get into that fourth place that gives you the possibility to get into the Champions League.”
Despite the challenging situation, Fernandes remains determined, stating, “We know it’s going to be hard but we have to do everything that is in our hands that we can do going into the next game at home. We know that our fans will be there over and over again. They’ve been behind us, they push us. Next game we have to go there and win that game.”
Manager Erik ten Hag echoed Fernandes’ sentiments, emphasizing the team’s commitment to fighting for Champions League qualification. “We had one bad performance last week where we didn’t play that well. But from this year on, we are really progressing,” he asserted to Sky Sports.
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville also weighed in on the situation, expressing cautious optimism for the team’s chances. “I think there is still hope for United,” he commented. “I still think there is a long way to go after the March international break, there is the run-in.
I think that Villa and Spurs have to do a job and there is still hope for United there, but they’re inconsistent and last week’s defeat to Fulham was a blow but today most people would have expected that they would drop three points today.”