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Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves condemned the “terrible position” Manchester United find themselves in after their third consecutive Europa League draw.
The Reds threw away yet another lead on the continent as their away clash with Fenerbahce ended with honours even at 1-1.
And both former United midfielders bemoaned the club’s inability to get European wins over the line, which has left them 21st in the table.
Speaking on TNT Sports after the game a dejected Scholes said: “they’re in a terrible position in the Europa League, they’ve got to start winning games soon”.
While Scholes did see some merit in tonight’s point in a hostile environment in Istanbul, Hargreaves was uncompromising in his assessment of the bigger picture.
Hargreaves, who won the Champions League with United, was disappointed with the standards of the current side.
He said: “I don’t think right now United can expect to go there and win a game like that”.
His view is all the more damning given Fenerbahce’s stuttering league form, which sees Jose Mourinho’s side sitting fourth in the Turkish Süper Lig.
Scholes was a little more sympathetic about United’s progress in the competition so far: “Porto away, tough place to go, good draw. Fenerbahce away, good draw,” he said, but he called the home capitulation against FC Twente “really disappointing”.
But Hargreaves slammed United’s form, clearly referencing what should be a gulf in class between United and their opponents when he said “three games three points is not good enough. I think that was a fair result, you look at the stats they’re all quite similar.”
United’s host PAOK in their next Europa League match, which will surely be a tipping point for any hope of progression in the competition.
The Greek side only have one point so far, picked up with a 93rd-minute equaliser against Viktoria Plzen tonight.
Featured image Burak Kara via Getty Images
