Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has claimed that Manchester United should worry about their top-four hopes if they succumb to defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
While answering questions from fans in the Daily Mail’s ‘Tackle Keown’ feature, the 50-year-old put pressure on the Red Devils to get a result on home turf this weekend.
Jose Mourinho’s men are currently 13 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea, and even though it is early days in the campaign, it would not be outlandish to suggest that their chances of becoming English champions are incredibly slim.
At the moment, United reside nine points below the Champions League spots following just two wins in their last 11 league fixtures.
The positive is that the North-West outfit have only been beaten once in their last nine top-flight games, but with six draws being recorded in that time, the frustration is there to see.
United have dominated games and have been easier on the eye than most of the performances under Louis van Gaal last season, but they are lacking that clinical edge to kill off games.
As for Spurs, they are seven points off top spot and three behind fourth-placed Manchester City, and they too have struggled for victories having won just twice in their last seven games.
The momentum is with Tottenham at the moment, though, as their last league fixture ended in a 5-0 thumping over Swansea City.
When asked for his thoughts, Keown said:
“This is a very tricky game for Jose Mourinho. If Manchester United were to lose this one, fourth place becomes very difficult for them to achieve.
“For Tottenham, it is the third tough away game in the last few weeks having travelled to the Emirates and Stamford Bridge. If they can get a result at Old Trafford, it leaves them a great position as all these teams have to play them at White Hart Lane later in the season. I think it will be a 2-2 draw.”
[ad_pod id=’domino-survey’ align=’center’]
[ad_pod id=’playwire’ align=’center’]
