Gary Lineker has made a damning prediction on whether or not he feels Michael Carrick can guide Manchester United to the Champions League this season.
Michael Carrick’s side now have just under a fortnight to reset after his opening five matches in charge of the first team, following Rúben Amorim’s dismissal last month.
Manchester United have collected an outstanding 13 points from a possible 15 during that spell, securing statement victories over Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham, and Tottenham, before being held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham on Tuesday night.
Although the stalemate in East London has slightly dampened the mood, United remain unbeaten in five, firmly in the top four and very much in control of their push for Champions League qualification.
After the short break, Carrick will take his players to Liverpool to face an Everton side whose form has been inconsistent, with two wins from their last five and a current eighth-place standing in the Premier League. Here is the latest on United’s injury situation.
Lineker feels United will miss out on Champions League
As for how many Champions League spots the Premier League will have, there will be at least four. However, English teams are currently firmly in control in Europe, and as it stands, look likely to secure a fifth spot for the 2026/27 campaign.
However, speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, former Tottenham striker Gary Lineker has now suggested that he feels United will likely miss out on the top four, with Chelsea and defending champions Liverpool instead making the cut alongside Arsenal, Manchester City, and Aston Villa.
“Yeah, it will be, I would go with that,” he said when discussing which sides will be rewarded with the European spots at the end of this season.
“I think it will be two, either United, Chelsea or Liverpool will miss out. I think [Arne] Slot said it would be a real concern if we [Liverpool] didn’t make the Champions League and would put him under enormous pressure.”
Lineker cannot underestimate the schedule impact
Ahead of the rest of the season, United still have to play Liverpool and Aston Villa at Old Trafford as well as Chelsea in West London. Unlike the others, United have no other competitions to play in this season.
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While United would no doubt rather be playing European and FA Cup football, the fact that they only have one game a season will have an impact that Lineker seems to be missing. While the others will have a series of midweek fixtures across the rest of the campaign, United won’t.
This won’t just be a fitness advantage, with United’s best players staying fresh, but it also gives Carrick and his staff a tactical advantage.
They will have a number of days between games to prepare for the weekend, which will help them in their Champions League qualification rounds and against every other side in the league.
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