Sunderland captain John O’Shea has revealed his shock at the rapid decline of Manchester United after their 2-1 win over his former club on Saturday, according to reports from the Telegraph.
The victory was the first time that the Ireland international has managed to beat United since leaving the club five years ago, with it also being the Black Cats’ first home victory against the Red Devils in the Premier League era.
And O’Shea, who spent 12 years with the club, was astonished by the Red Devils’ plight in recent seasons, making him believe that Sunderland are able to beat the once feared Man United last Saturday.
“Because of the season they are having and the amount of injuries they have got, it is difficult for them [to retain their aura],” said O’Shea.
“They still have some very good attacking players. I thought our full-backs did particularly well in closing them down, but they don’t have as many players as they used to have.
“That said, they had only lost once in 2016 before here. They have been getting a lot of credit recently. They are still a very good team, but, they are not challenging where they want to be in the table, that’s for sure.
“Champions League qualification is the minimum target for them. That is the given beforehand, when you look at the squads and the budgets, and what is spent at clubs to get into the Champions League.
“Not just Man United, the top five and six spend big to get into the Champions League, because that is where the rewards are and that is what attracts bigger and better players.
“That is the challenge they have and they are having to adjust. It’s difficult for them. The quality in the Premier League is increasing.”
The result has put even more pressure on under-fire manager Louis van Gaal, whose aim of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League now looking unlikely with the club six points off fourth placed Manchester City.
Man United will have another tough task when they host Arsenal in two weeks time, while Sunderland will need a victory against West Ham United to push themselves out of the bottom three.
[ad_pod id=’football-survey’ align=’center’]
[ad_pod id=’writeforus’ align=’center’]