Manchester United must overcome two looming hurdles to achieve what Sir Jim Ratcliffe demands
| Published date | 27 March 2024 |
| Publication title | Manchester Evening News: Web Edition Articles (England) |
The British billionaire struck all the right notes in his different interviews that week and reiterating the importance of Champions League football was a message to Erik ten Hag.
Manchester United were behind Aston Villa and Tottenham but they'd recently won at Villa Park and when Ratcliffe spoke, the unbeaten run in 2024 had yet to be brought to an end.
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Fulham won at Old Trafford just a few days later, which felt like a potentially significant setback in the top four race, however, the March international break is about to conclude and United are six points behind Spurs and trail Villa who they have a game in hand over by nine points.
For a large part of the first half of the campaign, qualifying for the Champions League seemed out of reach, but momentum has swung and a few results have gone United's way. February felt like a season-defining month and United came through it smelling of roses if you ignore the Fulham blip. April has a similar feel and the next few games are crucial.
You could suggest the remaining 10 games are 'cup finals', just as Ten Hag has, but the next two against Brentford and Chelsea feel particularly important for a number of reasons.
To begin with, United take on Brentford on Saturday for an 8pm kick-off in London and the 4-3 win over Liverpool before the break must be built on. The words 'turning point' have been overused this season but that special extra-time display should inspire some momentum.
Tottenham and Aston Villa play Luton and Wolves respectively at home this weekend and dropping points against Brentford could hurt United by the end of the season. A loss at the Brentford Community Stadium -Thomas Frank's side should have won against United in October -would increase the pressure on the visit...
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