“They’ll be devastated” – Owen Hargreaves rues Manchester United’s missed chances and offers staunch defense of Ralf Rangnick

Manchester United failed to impress yet again as they played out a goalless draw with Watford in the Premier League yesterday. Ralf Rangnick’s men couldn’t find the back of the net after squandering chances after chances throughout the encounter. Former midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes the Red Devils will be devastated after suffering another setback in their top-four race.

Reacting to the result, Owen Hargreaves highlighted Manchester United’s struggles in front of goal at the moment. According to him, the Red Devils would’ve won the game by four to five goals if it had been played around four to five years ago.

“Probably on another day, they could have won four or five-nil. Probably four or five years ago, they would have won four or five-nil with the chances they created,” the Englishman told Premier League Productions.

“Goalscoring has been a huge issue for United this season, I think they’ve got 20 less than Man City, and 25 than Liverpool. That’s the big thing, today you’ve got to win that game, the chances are there. They’ll be devastated because that top four race is so important to the football club, but they just can’t convert their chances,” he added.

Many are already pointing fingers at Ralf Rangnick amid Manchester United’s poor run of form in recent weeks. Owen Hargreaves, however, has refused to blame the tactician for the team’s failings. Instead, the former Red Devils midfielder insists the players should be held responsible for their output on the pitch.

He said:

“They’re playing a lot better under Ralf, they really are. If anybody thinks Ralf’s the problem, then they’re not watching properly. The players are the ones responsible on the pitch, and they’ve got to take those chances when they’re there,” the Englishman added.

Manchester United’s standing in the top-four race at the moment

The Red Devils currently rank fourth in the Premier League table with 47 points from 27 games so far. As it stands, they’re technically out of the title race already and will need to work very hard to maintain their spot in the standings.

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Ralf Rangnick’s men are in an intense battle with the likes of Arsenal, West Ham, Tottenham and Wolves to maintain the fourth spot. It is worth noting that the Gunners are United’s biggest threat in this race. Mikel Arteta’s men are just two points behind the Red Devils, with three outstanding fixtures in their favor.