Ancelotti rebel cause so dicey
GROUP L
ASHLEY YOUNG is convinced Manchester United will prove the critics wrong and turn their season into a big success.
A shocking start to the campaign has brought just three league wins, with the Reds languishing in 10th place in the table.
The pressure has mounted on boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has an uphill struggle to secure a top-four finish and a Champions League place.
But Young insists the squad are not worried about the flak because they believe they are good enough to start churning out positive results.
United host Partizan Belgrade in the Europa League tonight knowing a third win in four Group L games will book them a place in the knockout stages.
Winning the Europa League might prove their best chance of securing a return to the Champions League, as they did in 2017 under Jose Mourinho.
Young said: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I know what I see every day working hard on the training pitch. I know it’s possible to go out there and get results.
“It’s not gone as well as we’d have liked and like the manager’s said, we went on a mini-run before the Bournemouth defeat, but that isn’t going to dampen our spirits.
“We’ve a big game now to go and qualify out of the group stages and we’ve got games coming up which we believe are winnable. From this game we can go on another run and get the points on the board.”
United are still without Paul Pogba, who is sidelined until the start of next month with ankle trouble, as well as the likes of Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof, while Marcus Rashford is expected to be rested.
Pogba’s absence has given others a chance to shine - and Young insists United can cope just fine without the France World Cup winner.
He added: “There are a lot of players who can come in and play in those positions. We have great competition for places throughout the squad.
“You have to be on your toes 24/7 and give 100 per cent in training. We have to go out there and perform.
“Obviously when a player like Paul is missing it’s disappointing, but the boys that have played in those positions have done fantastically well.”
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Manchester United to win 2-1
CARLO ANCELOTTI is fighting to save his job as Napoli boss after his players rebelled against the Italian club’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
The ex-Chelsea manager backed a players’ boycott of attending a lockdown as punishment for last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Roma.
Napoli insisted in a statement: “The responsibility to decide on ordering days in a training retreat lies with coach Carlo Ancelotti.”
Tuesday’s 1-1 Champions League home draw with RB Salzburg heaped more pressure on Ancelotti. Napoli have won just three times in 10 games across all competitions this season.