Steve Holland sets demanding target for Man United ahead of season run-in | OneFootball

Manchester United coach Steve Holland has laid down a bold challenge to the players as the team enters the business end of the season.

Champions League beckons

United are firmly on course to finish within the Champions League spots and secure a sensational return to Europe’s most prestigious competition.

The Red Devils have turned a corner since Michael Carrick was named as Ruben Amorim’s replacement in December last year. Carrick has taken charge of 10 games, winning seven, drawing two and losing one. At present, United lie in third place in the Premier League table, one point above Aston Villa and six adrift of Manchester City in second.

With seven games left to play, United have it all in their hands to go on and achieve their primary objective of the campaign.

However, speaking to club media during the ongoing training camp in Dublin, Holland challenged the players to push for the highest possible position, instead of being content with merely finishing in the top four.

Arsenal may be out of sight at the top, but reeling in and perhaps passing City is a real chance. That, it seems, is Holland’s goal.

Ambitious challenge

Asked how the first training session in Dublin went, Holland answered, “Really good. It’s nice to be together again, having had a couple of weeks with all the players away and representing their various different countries. We’ve got an important run-in to go, so it’s important to get the group together again and really focus on that.”

“Today has been as you’d expect, a normal first day and they’re quite excited to be back in each other’s company and the training session has gone well.”

On how the facilities are, he replied, “It’s excellent, the hotel facilities, and to have the pitch so close and the gymnasium… we’re here to work, so it’s absolutely perfect for what we need.”

The former Chelsea and England coach continued, “Our last game, Bournemouth to Leeds, is a Premier League record I think, in terms of time between games. So the gap has been as big as you can have really. I think we felt it was important to get the whole group together again, and really focus on finishing the season well.”

“I think this is the perfect venue for that, really.”

On pushing for Champions League football, Holland noted, “Yeah. I think the language we should be using as this club is to finish as close as we possibly can to the top. I don’t know how possible that is, but that has to be the challenge always: to get as close as we possibly can to the top.”

“We’ve been speaking more to the players really about winning our matches, rather than thinking too much about what’s happening below. But yeah, clearly given the context, to finish in the Champions League places would be a good situation for us, but I think always we should be looking for more than that.”

United are next in action on 13 April when they welcome Leeds United to Old Trafford.

Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images

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