MX23RW : Thursday, March 28 19:18:23| >> :60:618:618:

Jamie Carragher: 'Manchester United were never going to win the title this season'

Jamie Carragher believes that Louis van Gaal was never going to be able to guide Manchester United to the Premier League title in his first season at the club.

Jamie Carragher has defended Louis van Gaal's record at Manchester United this season, insisting that the Red Devils were never going to be able to win the Premier League title.

The Dutchman has come under fire for his team's inconsistent displays, as despite a heavy outlay on players last summer, United are 10 points off the pace for the top-flight crown with just 10 matches remaining in the campaign.

However, Carragher has insisted that Van Gaal faced an impossible task in reversing the fortunes of the club immediately following their seventh-place finish in the 2013-14 season.

He told the Daily Mail: "When Louis van Gaal was unveiled last summer, what position did you imagine Manchester United would be in going into the final 10 games?

"If you envisaged them leading the title race, you would have been kidding yourself. There was never any chance of United finishing in front of Chelsea and Manchester City this season, not even after they spent £150m on new players and recruited a coach with a distinguished reputation.

"Yet given the way some people are talking about United at the moment, there seems to be disappointment and mystification that Van Gaal's team are in the middle of a fight to get into the top four and not perched in top spot, setting an unrelenting pace."

United are next in action against Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Monday.

ID:209656: cacheID:209656:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2517:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Marouane Fellaini of Manchester United celebrates scoring their second goal during the FA Cup Fifth round match between Preston North End and Manchester United at Deepdale on February 16, 2015
Read Next:
Fellaini: 'Man Utd have to beat Arsenal'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!