Unrecognisable Man Utd icon scoffs at Premier League prediction, it’s a brutal reality check

An unrecognisable Manchester United legend scoffed at the club’s top-four hopes this term.

United have endured a difficult first half of the season, having already been eliminated from the Champions League and Carabao Cup and fallen to eighth place in the Premier League.

And with Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to take over football matters at Old Trafford in the coming weeks, pressure is mounting for manager Erik ten Hag to change the club’s fortunes.

However, United icon Brian McClair scoffed at the suggestion the Dutchman could navigate the side to a top-four finish.

McClair spent 11 years at United between 1987 and 1998, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a League Cup, before returning to the club in 2006 to take charge of their academy.

But the side McClair left as a player decades earlier is unrecognisable these days, with the Premier League giants have not won the league in over 10 seasons.

McClair, who was involved in a pre-season Q&A with The Athletic, suggested that Ten Hag would struggle to claim a third-placed finish as they had managed last season.

The publication alleged that McClair openly laughed at the suggestion of a Champions League spot, before predicting United would finish “between fifth and seventh. And that’s if United get lucky with injuries.”

McClair, whose short brown hair and clean-shaven face have now been replaced by long locks and a Father Christmas-style beard, previously expressed his support for Ten Hag.

Indeed, last season McClair even compared the Dutchman to Sir Alex Ferguson.

When asked about Ten Hag’s suitability for United McClair told iNews: “I really like Erik and yes, there are similarities with Sir Alex Ferguson.

“Clearly Erik feels that discipline on and off the pitch is very important.

"Sir Alex would have done exactly the same as he did with Marcus [Rashford] with the time-keeping.

“Then there’s the winning culture, he’s not prioritised any games, he’s picked a team to win every game this week. It builds a momentum of its own.”