Carragher admits huge mistake with Man Utd prediction Amorim won’t like

Jamie Carragher admitted he got his early-season prediction regarding where Manchester United will finish horribly wrong, with Ruben Amorim’s side now tipped to finish even lower.

United endured a dismal start to the new campaign under former manager Erik ten Hag. Results improved under interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, though after Amorim’s first league match with Ipswich Town ended in a draw, Man Utd remain in the bottom half of the table in twelfth.

That is a far cry from the fifth position that pundit Carragher predicted Man Utd to finish when offering his assessment in the early stages of the campaign.

And re-addressing that prediction when speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher now believes Man Utd will struggle to finish sixth, never mind fifth.

Explaining why, Carragher pointed to the lack of quality in the players Amorim has inherited. Even if Amorim thrives, Carragher believes the stars at his disposal simply aren’t good enough to finish ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.

“In fifth place, this is the biggest mistake I’ve made in my predictions, I put Man Utd in fifth position,” began Carragher. “I don’t think there’s a chance Man Utd finish in fifth.

“I’d be very surprised if they finish in the top six, I can’t really see that happening.

“So I’m going to go for Tottenham [in fifth], I’ve said Tottenham will just miss out on the Champions League positions with Chelsea going in [fourth].

“I just think [Man Utd] haven’t got the players or the quality. I thought [Erik] Ten Hag may almost have a chance of taking them back to where they were in his first season, making them a lot more competitive.

“They spent £180m in the summer as well, but no, I overestimated how Manchester United would do and it’s one that I’m glad to get wrong!”

READ MORE: Ruben Amorim in-tray: Seven key issues for new Man Utd head coach to address

Owen Hargreaves identifies issue Amorim just address

In the aftermath of United’s 3-2 victory over Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League, former Red Devils midfielder Owen Hargreaves, voiced concerns about the midfield.

Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation sees United line up with a two-man midfield, whereas most other top teams like Liverpool and Arsenal play with a three in central areas.

Speaking to TNT Sports, Hargreaves suggested Amorim must be flexible and adjust his tactics in the bigger games especially or run the risk of being blown away by the heavyweights.

“I think they’ve got a lot of good players. Do they have the players capable of winning the Premier League or Champions League? Probably not. That’s going to take time to sort the recruitment out,” Hargreaves said.

“The most important thing is that they get results. Obviously Everton at the weekend is a tough game but at home you’d expect them [United] to win that game.

“Tough fixtures, especially the Arsenal one coming up after that, but they need to find a way to get results. Today they didn’t play brilliantly but they found a way to win the game which is the most important thing.

“I don’t think [Amorim] has the personnel that he had at Sporting. I think if you’re going to play two in there [midfield], they need to be two super-athletes and cover the distances.

“I’m not sure they have that as such. I think they’ve got some really good players, different players but he might have to tweak it that maybe one of the No 10s drops in and one of the wing-backs gets a little bit higher for the width. But I think playing two in there against an Arsenal or a [Manchester] City, I think that’s going to be really, really difficult.

“I think it’s a work in progress, we need to be patient but we’re getting there.”

Latest Man Utd news – Gyokeres, Mazraoui, Araujo

Elsewhere, TEAMtalk has been informed the tense relationship between Man Utd and HCM Sports Management – the agency that represents Viktor Gyokeres – could torpedo the Swede’s proposed move to Old Trafford.

Elsewhere, Amorim has heaped praise on versatile Man Utd star Noussair Mazraoui.

The Moroccan has played as a full-back on either side and even in midfield during the early stages of his Man Utd career.

Following the 3-2 win over Bodo/Glimt, Amorim said of Mazraoui: “He’s an incredible player, he’s our future. He played in different positions, he looks always fresh but we have to be careful.

“There’s a lot of games but he’s here to stay. This kind of player is what we need.”

Finally, The Sun reported Amorim will hold a meeting with United officials today (Friday) to discuss the potential signing of Tomas Araujo.

The Benfica centre-back, 22, could be available for around £50m despite boasting a €100m (£83m/$106m) release clause in his contract.

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