Heading into their last two Champions League fixtures, Manchester United simply needed three points to ensure qualification for the last 16 of the tournament.
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The 31-year-old’s absence will come as a further blow to United’s injury-hit squad, even though manager Louis van Gaal suggested Schweinsteiger under-performed in the 3-2 defeat at Wolfsburg, and that is why he was substituted.
Tuesday night was a real blowout for Red Devils.
United finished below both Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven, sides whose wage bills are dwarfed by their own, and The Guardian said that their fate was “precisely what they deserved”. Despite a good start and an early Martial goal, Wolfsburg managed to turn over the game and inflict Manchester a heavy defeat.
Van Gaal appeared irritated on Friday when asked if United would be happy to just win the much-maligned Europa League this season, after dropping out of the Champions League.
“The good thing for the Premier League is the teams at the bottom have the capacity to improve because the Premier League has more money, the teams are in a good financial condition”.
“It’s a big, big difference”, said Pochettino, whose Tottenham can win its Europa League group if it draws with Monaco on Thursday.
You used to go to United and get battered.
“Manager Eddie Howe described it as the biggest win in their history and they’re now aiming to claim back-to-back Premier League victories for the first time”. But you have to analyse the club now to where it was 10 years ago.
Manchester United’s Chris Smalling after sustaining an injury.
But Ranieri fears Chelsea are coming back into form just in time for Monday s trip to the King Power Stadium.
“I try to (lift their spirits) but of course, the players have to do that also by themselves, they are also the professionals”, Van Gaal added when speaking to MUTV.
Artur Boruc made his return last weekend and kept his club’s second clean sheet of the season.
The recurring word on the British newspapers’ sports pages was “humiliated”, with the Daily Telegraph describing United as “a very limited side” who had failed to navigate “a very mediocre group”.
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Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is available after overcoming a hip problem, but Rooney (ankle), Marcos Rojo (shoulder), Phil Jones (ankle), Ander Herrera (hamstring), Luke Shaw (leg) and Antonio Valencia (foot) all remain out.
