Wayne Rooney has backed Manchester United’s players to be ‘fully up to sharpness’ after the international break and believes a ‘realistic target’ for the club this term would be to finish in the top four and win a trophy.
The Red Devils had a nightmare start to the campaign as they were beaten 3-1 by Crystal Palace last month, with former player Wilfried Zaha netting a second-half double at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have won three games on the bounce in all competitions since that opening day defeat and face Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham team on Sunday afternoon for a clash which could have big implications for the rest of the season.
Writing in his Sunday Times column ahead of the match, United’s all-time record goalscorer, Rooney, said: ‘Ole is doing well.
‘Last season he reached three semi-finals and finished third in the league.
‘United were the best of the rest — with Liverpool and Manchester City a level above everyone else, which I think will remain the case in 2020-21.
‘For United and Tottenham Hotspur the realistic target is the top four and winning a cup.’
He added: ‘There was negativity about United after losing to Crystal Palace in their first match.
‘But they hadn’t had much time to prepare their players, only two weeks of training.
‘You’ll see the proper United when they’re fully up to sharpness after the international break.’
Solskjaer is expecting a fierce battle with Spurs at the Theatre of Dreams and says keeping Harry Kane ‘quiet’ will be key.
‘I think every coach when you play against a team with the quality they have… with Harry Kane you prepare really well,’ the United head coach said.
‘Harry’s one of the top strikers in the world and you’re just happy he’s back fit after the injury he had last year.
‘We’ll do our best to keep him quiet, we have a Harry back there who’s looking forward to playing against his international mate.’
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