Gary Neville believes the next month is going to be the real “test” for Manchester United in their bid for a top four Premier League finish.
United defeated Leeds United 4-2 on Sunday to boost their chances of Champions League qualification as they started to cement their place in fourth. However, difficult matches against Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City are on the horizon and Neville believes it will be a season-defining run of games.
“The test is now the next month,” Neville wrote for Sky. “This period was always going to come and it is here. That was the start of it and I thought it was a really difficult game. Leeds are a team who do invite you on to try and score goals against them, but it is still one of the most difficult places for Manchester United to come.
“They have got to stop those mad moments, those five-minute periods where they concede two goals, because if you concede two against City, Liverpool or Atletico, you are out of the game.”
Neville spoke of United’s “vulnerabilities” and the fact David de Gea has the most saves in the Premier League isn’t a good thing, suggesting the defensive line should stop the attacks and shouldn’t have the opportunity to shoot.
He added the Leeds match is a good one for Ralf Rangnick’s team to learn from heading into the tricky matches.
“I think this [the game against Leeds] is a warning sign,” he added. “Manchester United needed these points in the bag. It is inconceivable that, coming out of Tottenham at home, Manchester City away and Liverpool away that they are going to get seven to nine points.
“As a United fan, I hope they do, but they could easily come out of those three games with four points or five points or three points - you don’t know.”
