TV pundit Paul Merson believes Manchester United’s season could be seriously affected by the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain midweek.
The former Arsenal midfielder says he is backing Chelsea to beat the Red Devils in the FA Cup on Monday because of the impact of the Champions League loss:
“Man Utd are now are under pressure after their first-leg loss to PSG in the Champions League. Their season could go up in flames in a week because if they get beat here they are out of the FA Cup and are facing an uphill task to stay in the Champions League.”
“This period for me is when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to get the job or not.”
Dropping out of the Champions League and FA Cup would be a serious setback but it wouldn’t undo all the good work done by interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Prior to the Norwegian taking over, United only had an outside chance of securing a top-four finish, but they are now firm favourites to seal a Champions League place.
The Manchester club are currently one point ahead of both Arsenal and Chelsea, with twelve games to go, in the race for fourth.
The impact of the first loss under Solskjaer should, of course, not be underestimated but Merson’s statement that it could derail United’s whole season is highly contentious.
