Darren Fletcher has insisted Manchester United’s season is not over despite the club’s FA Cup third-round exit to Brighton.
United lost 2-1 at Old Trafford on Sunday to crash out of cup competition. It’s the first time since 1981/82 that the Red Devils have exited both domestic cups in their first tie in the same season.
After failing to qualify for Europe this season, it leaves the club facing the prospect of a season without silverware.
Despite that disappointment, interim manager Fletcher has insisted there’s plenty to play for. He said qualifying for the Champions League has to be the aim over the run-in. United are currently three points outside the top four ahead of this weekend’s Manchester Derby.
“Well, it’s not in a great moment. Yeah, let’s be honest, out the cups early,” he said.
“But as I said, there’s still a Champions League place to fight for and I still think that can be achieved this season. And it’s probably not what fans want to hear about Manchester United because you should be winning cups and challenging for the Premier League.
“But probably the objective this season, with the quality we’ve got and the league positions and how tight is, they’ve still got a lot of league games left that they can achieve that.
“So, that should be [what] all their focus and energy is going into. Improving as a team, improving quickly, and don’t waste the season. And I think that would be the challenge that I would set.
“That’s the challenge that probably the players feel like they need to achieve this year. And anything other than that is just noise, really. That’s what all their energy and focus has got to go into.”
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