The Red Devils need just a point to secure their return to Europe’s elite competition after a forgettable performance against West Ham
If you had offered Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the opportunity to go to Leicester on the final day needing only to avoid defeat to secure Champions League football at the start of 2020, he definitely would have taken it.
United’s gradual closing of the gap on the Premier League’s top four came to a conclusion on Wednesday as the Red Devils hauled themselves above the Foxes at the ideal moment.
But, if their sluggish performance against West Ham was anything to go by, then United will need to improve massively at the King Power Stadium in just four days’ time to get the job done.
As he has been on a number of occasions this term, Mason Greenwood stepped up when those more senior around him were struggling.
The 18-year-old, who has been compared to Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Robin van Persie at various stages during his breakthrough campaign, continues to rewrite the record books at Old Trafford.
His left-footed strike six minutes into the second half following a neat link-up with Anthony Martial saw him become the first English teenager to score 10 league goals in a single campaign since Rooney did so in 2004-05, while only Michael Owen matched that achievement at a younger age.
Greenwood’s goal was the highlight of his 50th first-team appearance for United, with the Bradford-born forward the youngest player since Ryan Giggs to reach that milestone.
He has struggled in his most recent starts, but after being left on the bench for the FA Cup defeat against Chelsea on Sunday, he looked a little more fresh, with one move in which he held off four West Ham defenders before playing in Martial during the first half particularly catching the eye.
The same cannot be said for his team-mates, however.
Solskjaer named the bulk of his preferred starting line-up against the Irons, with only full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw missing from the XI that started five straight games in recent weeks.
And despite dominating possession throughout the opening 45 minutes, they struggled to create clear-cut chances before Paul Pogba handled Declan Rice’s free-kick inside the area, with in-form Michail Antonio converting from the spot.
United did not take long to equalise after the break, but from there they rarely tested Lukasz Fabianski in the visitors’ goal.
In fact, it was David de Gea at the other end who had to be at full-stretch to deny Jarred Bowen in the closing stages, with the Spain international repaying the faith of his manager having been retained following his horror-show at Wembley.
Even Bruno Fernandes, who has been impeccable since his arrival in January, was misplacing passes by the end. The Portuguese almost let his frustrations get the better of him when he clashed with Mark Noble. It was one of those evenings for United.
The hope is now that they can shake off what has been a disappointing week and finish the job in the east Midlands on Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers’ side will likely have to win to secure a top-four finish themselves, which may play into United’s hands. Regardless, a win over David Moyes’ side would have meant they could have at least arrived with more of a cushion than they do now.
Solskjaer was scrathing his head by the time the 1-1 draw on Wednesday entered injury-time, and he must find a way to refresh his fatigued squad.
Greenwood, for all his talent, remains just 18. He cannot be relied on to produce a moment of magic every week, and others will have to step up in United’s biggest game of the campaign.
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