United are battling to secure Champions League qualification for 2024/25
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United great Paul Scholes believes his old club will clinch Champions League qualification this season, and he has backed two players in particular to help them do so.
Erik ten Hag's side are currently on the periphery of the top-four race – and, while the Premier League may receive a fifth spot in next term's expanded edition of Europe's top club competition, Scholes has tipped United to beat Tottenham and Aston Villa to fourth place.
With Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal pulling away from the rest of the pack and looking to set to fight for the title amongst themselves, there is realistically only one guaranteed Champions League qualification berth available.
Manchester United have made a strong start to 2024 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Scholes thinks United, after a hugely inconsistent first half of the campaign, have what it takes to secure it. The former Red Devils midfielder told the Premier League's official website.
"With players coming back into the team, they can be more consistent now towards the end of the season.
"They can win a lot of games. It's important they are in the Champions League.
"I've felt in the last two or three weeks, especially with all the players back...they've got a chance of top four.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"I think they will get into it because they've got a little bit of experience coming back into the team. It's important.
"They've got a lot of young players...but when you've got a Casemiro next to them; when you've got a [Raphael] Varane coming in with them as well..."
"It makes a big difference to your team. It adds a little bit of quality. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how they play. Sometimes, it's just having their names around."
Varane (left) and Casemiro have both had their 2023/34 campaigns disrupted by injury (Image credit: Getty Images)
United finished third in the Premier League last season, Ten Hag's first campaign in charge.
However, their return to the Champions League went catastrophically wrong: they crashed out in the group stage, finishing bottom after losing four and winning just one of their six games.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
