Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has dropped his scoreline prediction for Manchester United’s final Premier League match of the season against Brighton on Sunday.
Manchester United had their last Premier League match at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening, with the Red Devils picking up a 3-2 win over Newcastle.
The Red Devils are eighth in the Premier League table and are level on points with seventh-place Newcastle and three points behind sixth-place Chelsea.
United’s disappointing run of form and lack of consistency this season left Erik ten Hag’s men without any chance of finishing inside the Premier League top four.
The Premier League club are now fighting for a place in any kind of European competition before the season is out.
United have won only twice in their last five league fixtures ahead of their clash with Brighton at the Amex, with kick-off slated for 4pm UK time.
Merson talks Ten Hag and Man Utd future
Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford remains shrouded in mystery ahead of the Brighton match and the FA Cup final against Manchester City at Wembley.
The under-fire Dutchman has had to navigate a difficult second season at Old Trafford amid an injury crisis to his squad and lacklustre performances.
Manchester United have been linked with several potential replacement managers if Ten Hag is axed from the club, including Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi.
Another name believed to be on the radar is Kieran McKenna, who was on the United coaching staff under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Paul Merson has warned Kieran McKenna, who earned Premier League promotion with Ipswich Town, about taking over at United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
“Erik ten Hag’s future remains a topic of discussion and I have no idea if he’ll still be there next season, but fair play to him for putting himself out there at Old Trafford and doing that speech,” he wrote for Sportskeeda.
“He needs to win the FA Cup to keep his job, but I can’t see it happening.
“I heard Manchester United are talking to Kieran McKenna. He’s a fantastic young manager, but he needs to ask himself if he can make anything happen at a club where Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have failed in recent years.
“It’s a job you can’t turn down, but he needs to sit down and think about everything that has happened since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure before making a decision.”
Merson’s prediction for Brighton vs Man Utd
Merson insisted that he offers United “absolutely no chance” when they face City in the FA Cup final on 25th May.
The Sky Sports pundit has even backed Ten Hag’s men to lose their final Premier League match of the season by a 2-1 scoreline at the Amex.
“Manchester United are not going to qualify for European football next season by the looks of it – even their goal difference is absolutely atrocious,” Merson said.
“They’ll hope to have some of their injured players back for the FA Cup final against Man City and could use this game to give those players a few minutes to return to match fitness.
“I give them absolutely no chance against Manchester City at Wembley even if they have a fully fit squad as their rivals are on a different planet altogether.
“In fact, I think they’ll [put] all eggs on the FA Cup basket and lose this one against a Brighton side that has shown marked improvement in recent weeks.”