Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has told the club's supporters to lower their expectations of his side following their exit from the Champions League.
The Red Devils crashed out of the competition in the group stage as a result of their 3-2 defeat to Wolfsburg, leaving them to compete in the Europa League.
Van Gaal has admitted that his team are struggling to cope with the expectations placed upon them following the club's success in the Premier League and in Europe under the tenure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Dutchman believes that the rise in television money into the English top flight has made the league tougher, which has had a knock-on effect on the teams competing in Europe.
He told reporters: "The problem is that we have to meet the expectations - and the expectations at a club like Manchester United are very high, and that's our problem. You have to analyse the club as it is now. You cannot compare it with 10 years ago, because there is an evolution in football and in European football.
"Now we have many more clubs who have the money, who also have the structure to - and are able to - win something. It's the same in the Premier League. Next year, all the clubs in the Premier League will have a bigger budget than most of the clubs in Europe. That makes a big difference. Every club can also buy a player. The difference to buy players now is not so big.
"The confirmation [of that] is every week. The bottom clubs can beat the top teams. There is no other league that is happens as often as it does in the Premier League. So it's very difficult for a Premier League club to match with the other leagues in the Champions League."
United face Bournemouth in their Premier League clash later today.
Simon Sinclair
