No miracle required by United, insists Mourinho

MANCHESTER UNITED boss Jose Mourinho has stressed he does not think the club need a miracle to finish in the Premier League’s top four this season – while admitting the target for the end of December has changed.

Results at the weekend, when Mourinho’s men drew 2-2 at Southampton, left seventhplaced United eight points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who they face at Old Trafford tonight.

Mourinho was quoted as saying to Brazilian outlet RedeTV after the game at St Mary’s, when referring to his ambitions for the rest of the season: “Try to win as many points as possible and try almost the miracle to end in fourth.”

When asked about that in a press conference yesterday, Mourinho said: “If I used that word (miracle), it is not what I feel at all. I think we are eight or nine points from fourth. I don’t think we need a miracle at all.

“We need a good run of results, I think we don’t need to waste points where we shouldn’t waste.”

The Southampton result was United’s second successive Premier League draw, with them having been held 0-0 at home by Crystal Palace on November 24.

Ahead of the midweek round of games, Everton are above United in the table in sixth spot.

Mourinho was asked what he would say to people who say United should never be in seventh place.

And he said: “I think Manchester United, seventh place – I can agree.

“I think at the end of the season once more the top six will be done by the six teams that we all know that have that responsibility to finish in the top six.”

Gunners boss Unai Emery, meanwhile, believes the result of tonight’s game will determine whether his side have turned a corner this season.

Arsenal head to Old Trafford on a high following the feelgood factor of their scintillating performance in Sunday’s 4-2 victory against Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.

It has been a dozen years since the Gunners last won at Old Trafford in the Premier League, when Emmanuel Adebayor scored a late winner for Arsene Wenger’s side in a 1-0 victory in September 2006.

“It will be a very big challenge for us on Wednesday and it will confirm our good moment, or whether we need more,” said Emery. “It is very difficult to win there because they are a very big team with big players and have a big atmosphere pushing them, but it is an exciting match and my motivation is very big.”