PREMIER LEAGUE
changed now and to hear me even get into that sort of conversation — we aren’t even qualifying for that, we’re out of that.”
With the team sliding deeper into crisis and unable to offer Champions League football, Yorke admitted United are no longer the top draw for the world’s best players.
Join
“Is it losing the X Factor?” said Yorke. “Maybe a little bit, but that’s what it is.
“If you’re a player and you’ve got the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City after you, then United is in the second tier.
“I think that people now are secondguessing whether they want to join United. It never used to be a club you contemplated coming to.
“United are in for you? You don’t think about it. Now players are thinking ‘I’m
P W D L F A Pts
Arsenal 36 26 5 5 88 28 83 Man City 35 25 7 3 87 33 82 Liverpool 36 23 9 4 81 38 78 Aston Villa 36 20 7 9 73 53 67 Tottenham 35 18 6 11 69 58 60 Newcastle 35 17 5 13 78 56 56 Chelsea 35 15 9 11 70 59 54 Man Utd 35 16 6 13 52 55 54 West Ham 36 13 10 13 56 70 49 Bournemouth 36 13 9 14 52 63 48 Brighton 35 12 11 12 53 57 47 Wolves 36 13 7 16 49 60 46 Fulham 36 12 8 16 51 55 44 Crystal Palace36 11 10 15 49 57 43 *Everton 36 12 9 15 38 49 37 Brentford 36 9 9 18 52 60 36 **Nottm Forest36 8 9 19 45 63 29 Luton 36 6 8 22 49 78 26 Burnley 36 5 9 22 39 74 24 (R) Sheff Utd 36 3 7 26 35 100 16
not so sure’ and that’s not a good sign.”
One of the most damning indictments of the current United team is the negative goal difference, which currently stands at minus three, a statistic Cole cannot fathom.
“It’s not United, is it?” said Cole. “For me, that’s an upsetting thing as well.
“Playing for Alex Ferguson, you might concede a few but, we played the way United should play, and that’s attacking teams home and away.
“This counter-attacking football? No, there was none of that. You go for the jugular from minute one, home or away.”
Cole also feels Rasmus Hojlund (21) has had an unfair burden placed on him in his first season at United.
“You have a young man coming in, he has come to United and everyone is saying ‘he’s United’s No.9’ and you’re like ‘he doesn’t have the experience to be United’s No.9’.”
ERIK TEN HAG says “common sense” dictates he should be in charge of Manchester United next season.
Ten Hag has been given no assurances by Jim Ratcliffe and his new United football operations team that he will stay in charge at Old Trafford.
United have suffered a chronic injury crisis this season, which hasn’t helped them as they have slumped to eighth in the table, on course for their worst finish of the Premier League era.
Louis van Gaal was sacked by United in 2016, despite winning the FA Cup; and Ten Hag could now potentially suffer the same fate as his Dutch compatriot – even if he beats Manchester City at Wembley on May 25.
“No. I think they have common sense,” said Ten Hag (below). “They seen when you have 32 different backlines, when you lose eight centrebacks, when we see we don’t have a left full-back.
Fighting
“They know that will have a negative impact on results but we’re still fighting and it’s a huge FA Cup final and we’re still there.
“It can be a highlight of the season, but we know why we are underperforming. I’m a realistic person, I see this, I analyse and no team would perform with these injuries.”
Despite the silence from
Ratcliffe regarding his