Gabriel Agbonlahor has predicted Manchester United will finish no better than seventh in the upcoming Premier League season.
After finishing third and winning the League Cup in his first season, Erik ten Hag endured a difficult follow-up campaign at Old Trafford, dropping to eighth in the Premier League and facing serious questions about his future in the job.
However, he was able to guide the Red Devils to a shock FA Cup final win over rivals Manchester City, which ultimately convinced Man Utd to not only stick with him, but also to extend his contract through 2026.
Attention now turns to the summer transfer market, where Manchester United will hope to add serious depth and quality in order to challenge the likes of Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the league.
Jarrad Branthwaite, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee are just a few of the names linked with a switch to Old Trafford. However, former Aston Villa and England striker Agbolahor still doesn’t have much faith in the 20-time champions substantially improving.
“I think they’ll do better, of course, but will they get into the top four? I don’t think they will,” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT.
“I think there’s so much competition now. I don’t think Aston Villa will too (make the top four).
“Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle are going to get better as will Chelsea and Spurs. I don’t see Manchester United breaking into the top four.”
Man Utd to remain in mid-table?
Pressed on how low he predicts Man Utd to finish, Agbolahor didn’t paint a pretty picture of the campaign ahead.
“Seventh or maybe eighth again,” he added. “They’ve given Ten Hag an extra year after looking at every other manager possible.
“From watching Manchester United last season, I didn’t see anything in their performances warranting Ten Hag getting a new deal.
“If other managers were available and they wanted to come to Manchester United, they (the club) would have changed him this summer.”
Manchester United kick off the 2024/25 Premier League season at home to Fulham on August 16, following a Community Shield clash with Manchester City at Wembley.