‘The season is not over’ says Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick despite latest disappointment
Manchester United's Harry Maguire reacts following the Premier League match at Old Trafford, Manchester.
Manchester United’s pursuit of the top four has hit yet another speed bump after the Red Devils were held to a 1-1 draw against Leicester City.
Following their latest disappointment, Man United manager Ralf Rangnick was forced to recognise that his team's top-four hopes are unfavourable.
The Red Devils lacked a cutting edge and could've faced a defeat if not for VAR's intervention.
The result leaves United in sixth place, three points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. However, it's crucial to note that the Gunners have played two fewer games.
With just eight matches remaining, Rangnick's time to seal a top four finish is quickly running out.
Speaking after the match, he admitted the club might not bag Champions League qualification, saying: "For us, it's my job and all of our jobs to finish this season on the highest and best possible note. Saying that does not necessarily mean finishing fourth.
"Dropping another two points hasn't made the situation better at all. For us it's about preparing for the next game again.
"It doesn't help at all to look at the table every weekend and speculate and anticipate what might happen, how many points we might need. Right now we are not the favourites for sure for number four.
"But the season is not over, we still have another eight games to play, and then it's time to draw the right conclusions and take the right decisions for next season."
With Cristiano Ronaldo (illness) and Edinson Cavani (injury) both on the sidelines, Fred was the man who cancelled out Kelechi Iheanacho's opener.
When asked about his attacking options, Rangnick said: "We had all the offensive players that we had available on the pitch at the end. It is as it is; we played against a good team, they were in good shape, they had won three out of four games.
"I cannot fault the team for not trying and putting in the effort. It was not the result we were trying to get.
"But we have just have to admit this was a fair result at the end. They deserved to get their point, we deserved to get a point. To win the game we were not for the whole game convincing enough."
Next up for the Red Devils is a trip to out-of-form Everton.
