Maybe all hope isn't quite extinguished for Manchester United when it comes to finishing in the top four this season, but ahead of a trip to Merseyside on Grand National day, there are still plenty of obstacles to overcome between now and the end of May.
The problem for Ralf Rangnick is that this team have been clipping the smallest of hurdles all season and there are still a few jumps the size of Beechers Brook to get over when the margin of error is now slim to non-existent.
United still have to play Chelsea at Old Trafford and Liverpool and Arsenal away in their remaining eight games, but even Saturday's trip to an Everton team battling against the drop comes with a degree of fear.
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Rangnick has won nine of 21 games in charge of United and for that reason they are the outsiders compared to Tottenham and Arsenal when it comes to securing that last Champions League spot. You wouldn't even rule out West Ham finishing above them.
But even if United fall at the next fence the season shouldn't be considered 'dead' - as Paul Pogba described it over the international break - even if they are currently playing like they want these final weeks simply to come to an end.
It would be naive of this squad to believe their next manager isn't watching developments now and whether it's Erik ten Hag or Mauricio Pochettino that arrives this summer their decisions over the futures of some players will partly be conditioned by what happens in these next few weeks.
After the draw with Leicester City last weekend, when United didn't play like a team desperate for the three points that they really needed, the character of the squad was again questioned.
Rangnick attempted to steer clear of criticising the mentality of the squad, but he did admit that it was a team lacking the physical gifts to go with their technical skills.
"We come back to DNA, speed, physicality, tempo, what do we need? This team does not lack technical players, it can do with more physicality," he said.
"It has to be a bit in the DNA of a player, to be honest. It is difficult to change, shall I say a technically great player into a physical, aggressive player, and we have a lot of people who are technical players.
"On a day when we are fluid and in our rhythm, we have shown in the past we can outplay other teams. But today was difficult. Leicester were aggressive and physical in many parts of the game. We had problems with them.
"It is as it is and it is difficult to change. I do not think it is to do with mindset, it is to do with the DNA of players."
It may be a physical issue more than one of mindset, but it's hard to entirely separate the two when United's season has fallen apart as rapidly as it has. Leicester's midfield and attack looked far hungrier and better unit at Old Trafford, but nobody would claim Youri Tielemans, James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Kelechi Iheanacho are dominant physically.
They can make their technical prowess succeed due to work rate and that doesn't come down to physicality, but to desire.
Rangnick's comments should suddenly have put this squad on warning. They have eight games to go and will probably need to win at least six, maybe even seven of them if they are to finish fourth.
If that proves beyond them then players need to realise that their own futures might be on the line. If they coast through these final eight games, waving the white flag on their season, and are outworked by opponents on a consistent basis, then it will signal the end of more than a couple of Old Trafford careers.
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