Roy Keane weighs in on United’s hopes of securing CL football after “big setback” vs. Leeds – report

Manchester United’s Monday night defeat to fierce rivals Leeds has left the club’s position in the top five of the Premier League just that little bit more precarious, with six games of the season still to go. A dramatic 90 minutes at Old Trafford saw Daniel Farke’s men take charge of the first hour and deservedly find themselves 2-0 up through Noah Okafor’s brace, giving them a worthy half-time lead. Casemiro’s bullet header halved the deficit, but United couldn’t force an equaliser despite creating a handful of chances in the second period. The sending off of Lisandro Martinez didn’t help the cause, with the Argentine’s hair pull on Dominic Calvert-Lewin earning him a controversial red card and subsequent three-match suspension. No panic just yet The defeat will serve as a huge blow to Michael Carrick, who would have seen his side stretch their lead to 10 points over Chelsea in sixth had they beaten the Yorkshire club. However, former United captain Roy Keane believes there will be “no problem” with qualifying for next season’s Champions League despite the “big setback” of the result. As reported by the Standard, Keane has urged United to end the campaign strongly and ensure they finish in one of the coveted top five spots. “There’ll be no problem with Man Utd getting into the Champions League, but they won’t want to end the season badly either. They’ll want to finish on a high and keep that run going. Against Leeds with the way they performed, it’s a big setback for them,” he said. Keane admitted United “started slowly” and just didn’t find their groove until, bizarrely, they went down to 10 men after the Martinez red card. Despite creating a few presentable opportunities in the last knockings, Carrick will surely be disappointed with the performance that has left his side with just one win in their last four Premier League games. Huge trio of games ahead Keane’s confidence will be put to the test in the next few weeks, with United travelling to Chelsea before entertaining Brentford and Liverpool respectively at Old Trafford. Should United lose at Stamford Bridge, Carrick’s men will find their gap cut to just four points over their London rivals, with Aston Villa and Liverpool able to jump above them in the table with wins of their own. One of the four will be missing out on Champions League qualification and, given United’s position before the Leeds game, it would be a major disappointment if they do end the campaign outside the top five. Ultimately, United are still favourites to cement their place at Europe’s top table next year, but last night’s reality check will serve as a sharp reminder that there are no easy games in the Premier League. A win in West London next Saturday would all but guarantee their ticket back to the Champions League, but they will have to be at their best against a Chelsea side who will be smelling blood after United’s showing in the first 60 minutes against Leeds. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Conner Botterill Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for three years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology through the Open University. His favourite match attended was the Champions League victory in Paris under one the guidance of one of his idols, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.