Jones: Man Utd in danger of missing out on top four

Dom Farrell

Jones: Man Utd in danger of missing out on top four image

Manchester United's faltering form over the Christmas period has left them battling for a top-four spot in the Premier League, according to defender Phil Jones.

Jose Mourinho's side were held to a third consecutive draw on Saturday, as they played out a goalless stalemate with Southampton at Old Trafford.

United head into their New Year's Day clash at Everton 15 points behind leaders Manchester City and, having dropped to third in the table behind Chelsea, Jones concedes his team-mates should maybe be more concerned by the teams behind them in the fight for Champions League qualification.

"For sure [we are]," said the England international told reporters. "It's obvious if you look at the table.

"But we have to concentrate on ourselves. It sounds so cliche but we need to look after each other, stick together, which is what we will do, and keep going and keep battling.

"It's frustrating for us, frustrating for the fans and everyone involved but there's no point sitting here and sulking about it."

Former United captain Wayne Rooney will be fit to start against his old club at Goodison Park after overcoming the effects of a virus.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.