Bruno gives Ratcliffe plenty to think about with honest Man Utd admission

Bruno Fernandes has conceded that it will be difficult for Manchester United to secure a top-four finish after falling to a disappointing 3-1 defeat in the Manchester derby.

United took an early lead on Sunday afternoon through Marcus Rashford but ended up leaving the Etihad pointless following a disastrous second-half. Phil Foden scored twice before Erling Haaland added a third late on to ensure Manchester City would retain the bragging rights they claimed courtesy of a 3-0 win at Old Trafford back in October.

The result also means United ended the weekend still in sixth place, however, the gap to Aston Villa is now 11 points after they beat Luton Town in a five-goal thriller on Saturday evening. Unfortunately for Erik ten Hag's side, time is running out for them to usurp their Premier League rivals in the race for a Champions League place.

Speaking post-match, Fernandes was quick to admit that United now face an uphill battle to grab one of those coveted spots. The United captain insisted, though, that he and his teammates would not give up in their bid to end the season on a high.

He told Manutd.com: "We need to look forward. We don't depend only on ourselves to get into the positions we want. We're not hiding from that, we want to be in the Champions League and we want to try until the end of the season to get into that fourth place that gives you the possibility to get into the Champions League.

"We know it's going to be hard but we have to do everything that is in our hands that we can do going into the next game at home. We know that our fans will be there over and over again. They've been behind us, they push us. Next game we have to go there and win that game."

United's slim chances of qualifying for next season's