United View: Champions League all but confirmed

Manchester United are within two points of qualifying for next season’s edition of the Champions League after their 2-1 win over Brentford. 

Michael Carrick’s side rode their luck at times, but goals from Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko were enough for all three points.

The Reds kicked off their sixth Monday night fixture of the season strongly, almost taking the lead through Amad, before Casemiro popped up for his ninth goal of the campaign – eight of which have been headed goals.

This is the most prolific season of the Brazilian’s career.

Brentford created several chances that should have resulted in a goal, but Igor Thiago squandered the opportunities presented to himself. 

United survived and doubled their lead just before the break, with Bruno Fernandes teeing up Sesko for his 19th assist in the league, one shy of tying the record.

Carrick embraced his inner Ruben Amorim, adopting a back-three system for the second half, which stifled Keith Andrews’ side for much of the second half until Mathias Jensen pulled one back late on with a superb strike.

United once again held on, putting them within touching distance of achieving their goal of Champions League qualification. 

There is still a lot to be desired for next season, however, for now the Reds can celebrate what’s been a monumental turnaround in fortunes over a year.

The Reds will know they can’t rely on pragmatism alone in 26/27. 

Thankfully, it’s been enough since Carrick’s arrival, with rivals dropping off since the turn of the year, but it’s not something sustainable, especially with the Champions League to balance.

There’s been lots of good work done, from player recruitment, and a midfield overhaul is very likely to occur in the summer. 

It’s by no means going to be a success, but United are now in a much stronger position than they were last season.

Carrick spoke of ‘spirit’ in his post-match comments, saying, “It’s a tough league to get results in. To get the amount of wins we have, we are delighted with that. On the back of the Leeds result, we’ve shown great spirit and good mentality from the boys. So it was a huge effort from the players. We played some really good football but had to defend well as a team and make blocks.”

Mentally, United have been significantly better; it was evident there was greater positivity around the squad during pre-season, with little to no drama coming out in the media.

Hopefully, it’s something the club can build upon, bringing in players with talent and character to match. 

When things are going well at Old Trafford, it’s a great place to be, but that hasn’t been the case for many years, so having players willing to dig in is imperative to future success.

For now, the season has a relaxed feel to it. 

Of course, United will want to finish as strongly as possible, but we all know the job is effectively done regarding European qualification. 

A point against Liverpool would virtually secure Champions League, but a league double over Arne Slot’s side would make it even sweeter.

Do that, and Carrick could start to experiment with the squad, possibly handing out minutes to academy talent. Shea Lacey was on the bench against Brentford – he showed promising signs but hasn’t been seen since his red card against Brighton in January.