Sport

Damning: Manchester United lack world class players needed to win Champions League, claims Moyes

By Tom Belger

David Moyes has sensationally claimed that Manchester United lack the ‘six or seven’ world class players needed to win the Champions League

The Scot is not even ten games into his Old Trafford career but is already coming under pressure after the Red succumbed to a third league defeat of the season.

The new boss has now questioned his squads’ ability to win Europe’s biggest club prize this season ahead of their trip to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

“To win the Champions League, you need five or six world-class players,” Moyes told the BBC.

“That’s the level you have to be at to win it. We’ve not got that yet but what we have got is experience.”

The comments will do little to satisfy United fans who increasingly doubt Moyes’ ability to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson.

Moyes will be desperate to avoid his side’s third defeat in four games on Wednesday but he has warned fans United face a tough task in Ukraine.

“I think we need to go there with a strong team. Going to Ukraine is tough because Donetsk have had a good record,” he told reporters on Friday,” he said.  

However, the main concern for United fans is Moyes talking down United’s Champions League chances in a week where they have fallen out to 7/1 to successfully regain their Premier League title.

United came within a contentious refereeing decision of beating Spanish giants Real Madrid last season with a side who all still remain at Old Trafford.

The Reds have got off to a winning start in Europe by defeating Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 at Old Trafford two weeks ago but the Scot is refusing to inflate United’s chances.

“It has become a harder competition to win with the spending power of some of the big teams in other countries,” added the United boss.

“With the emergence of all the good Spanish players and Spanish teams and now you have PSG the competition has become much more open than it was in years gone by.”

“It’s been hard for Manchester United as well and progress is not something that is guaranteed. There were no guarantees for Manchester City last year. You have to play well enough and grow into it and, hopefully, keep moving along.”

Another defeat for Moyes on Wednesday will begin to test United fans’ patience and by talking down United’s European chances already he has done himself little favours to win over supporters.

Image courtesy of Sky Sports via Youtube , with thanks

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