Siddharth Juyal
Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel shares his scepticism ahead of the Northwest derby match at Anfield
Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel doubts that the club can pull a positive result at Anfield against historic rivals Liverpool. The Red Devils have crashed out of the European competition after finishing fourth in the Champions League Group A.
United are facing an injury crisis alongside poor performances from the available players due to a lack of cohesiveness. Furthermore, many players are struggling with their performances, failing to make a significant contribution to United’s campaign this season.
United manager Erik ten Hag has faced scrutiny from the fans and media for the high level of inconsistency. The Manchester giants have lost 12 matches in all competitions, crashing out of the Carling Cup and the Champions League.
Schmeichel told CBS Sports (h/t Manchester Evening News) that United without key players would struggle to win at Anfield. He said:
“Everything seems out of sync, I have to be honest. Of course, you have Harry Maguire coming off with an injury. Luke Shaw came off with an injury. We’ve got Liverpool on Sunday. I’m trying not to think about that. It’s going to be without our captain (Fernandes), without possibly our best player of the last month or so, Harry Maguire. It’s going to be without Luke Shaw if he is injured. The prospects are not very good. Based on this performance (vs Bayern), how can this team go to Anfield and win? I just can’t see it.”
United captain Bruno Fernandes is suspended after receiving his fifth yellow card in the last Premier League game. Meanwhile, on-form defender Harry Maguire and recently returned left-back Luke Shaw suffered an injury in mid-week against Bayern Munich.
Ten Hag’s men looked uninspiring during the 0-1 loss to Bayern despite the high stakes involved in the game. The Old Trafford loyalists showed visible frustration towards the performance of their players who lacked passion and commitment.
United are likely to deploy emergency centre-back Jonny Evans and Raphael Varane as the centre-back pairing against Liverpool. At the same time, we can only speculate the player that will take over the hole left during Fernandes’ absence.
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United are currently sixth in the Premier League table, 10 points behind their biggest rivals and current league leaders Liverpool. The Red Devils lost their last Premier League game 0-3 against Bournemouth at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag cannot afford to lose more games despite the adversities that his senior team is facing. After getting knocked out of two competitions, failure to reach top four this season is an unacceptable outcome.
