Manchester United secured a much-needed victory at the weekend with Scott McTominay’s dramatic stoppage-time brace sealing the come-from-behind win.
Brentford took the lead midway through the first half and looked to be leaving Old Trafford with all three points until McTominay’s last-gasp intervention.
The win means United stopped their losing streak at home and this will hopefully serve as turning point in their season.
Finishing in the much coveted Champions League places is the target for Erik ten Hag, which is likely to be made up of the top five Premier League teams this campaign.
The new coefficient obviously give United a better chance of securing their spot in next year’s competition but former captain Gary Neville believes they will struggle to squeeze into one of the top five spots.
Speaking on his ‘Gary Neville Podcast’ for Sky Sports, the ex-defender says United will miss out on Champions League qualification.
“I don’t think Manchester United will finish in the top five this season… but they proved me wrong last season after having a very poor start.
They’re way off it and I’m surprised because seven or eight weeks ago I had them third again,” said Neville.
Saturday’s win was crucial for United as they look to kick start their campaign but Neville says despite the importance of the result, the club are still struggling.
“I felt sorry for Brentford because I like them a lot. But it was huge. Huge in the sense of it had been such a depressing start to the season and by no stretch of the imagination does beating Brentford at home with two goals in the 93rd and 97th minutes mean that everything is ok. Far from it. It’s a mess,” he said.
Neville’s sentiments will be echoed by United fans who are well aware of the poor performances that have left them far behind the pack, even at this early stage of the campaign.
United return to action in the Premier League with a trip to struggling Sheffield United after the international break.