Paul Scholes tips Man United to finish above Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United’s gritty 2-1 win against Aston Villa on Sunday means the race for Champions League qualification is heating up.

Erik ten Hag’s first away win as United manager against a top-nine team took the Red Devils to within five points off the hosts in fifth and six points below Tottenham Hotspur in fourth.

The gap could have become double-digits in case of a poor result and the team’s grit really shone through after the manager’s recent comments about treating every game like a Cup final.

After the victory, United legend Paul Scholes felt the club was building a head of stone and that they are in contention for a top-four finish.

Scholes’ prediction

The Old Trafford side have now won three on the trot and are unbeaten in the New Year.

The midfielder, while speaking to Premier League productions, predicted Ten Hag’s side to pip Villa and Spurs to fourth due to the mixture of experienced stars and in-form youngsters.

“I believed that [United would qualify for the Champions League] before the game. I always thought we had the chance. Once we got those players back – and I know I keep going on about that – but it was important to get them back, especially with the blend we’ve got now.

“We’ve got some really talented young players and I think United will actually finish about Tottenham and Villa; I think they’ll catch them both in the end and finish fourth.”

The only negative from the game was Luke Shaw’s half-time substitution and hopefully, it is just a precaution and the England international can return soon.

Next fixtures are winnable

United’s options in the full-back positions is rather thin with both Tyrell Malacia and Aaron Wan-Bissaka out injured and Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat not the best fixes.

Five out of the next six games for United are against opposition in the bottom-half of the table and while any team can win on a given day, the Red Devils need to make this run count if they are to catch up.

“The next six games are very winnable – obviously one is against Manchester City, but who knows,” Scholes suggested.

The manager will be hoping the injury cloud clears up so that he can continue to pick his strongest team in the games to come.