Man United are still in with a chance of playing Champions League football next season but expectations have to be managed among the fans.
That is the view of former Aston Villa Manager Paul Lambert who was speaking exclusively to us here at BoyleSports.
The 54-year-old, who had an impressive playing career in which he was best known for his time at Borussia Dortmund and Celtic, was also glowing in his praise of Man United’s Scott McTominay, talked Champions League predictions, reminisced on his time at Norwich plus much more.
Man United Not What They Once Were
I think a lot of people expected Manchester United to lose because of how good Aston Villa's home form is. You can never write Manchester United off, even though they have had their problems.
If you look at the league table, they are not a million miles off those European places again and it is just about where you perceive Manchester United now and how you define success for them.
I think a lot of fans would largely expect them to be much higher up the table, but the reality is the history has gone and they are not the same team that they were 20 years ago.
*Man United are 5/1 to finish in the top 4 in this season’s Premier League per the latest football odds at BoyleSports.
Scott McTominay Is Massively Underrated
Scott McTominay has been brilliant for United and he has been brilliant for Scotland as well, he scores so many important goals when you need him to. He never lets Scotland down and he never lets United down either. You get the same consistency week-in, week-out and he probably is a victim of his own success because he scores, then gets dropped and it is a vicious cycle.
I definitely think he is underrated and it is probably because he hasn't got an 'I' at the end of his name. They think he is not a foreigner, so he must be rubbish and I think it is a disgrace how we are so quick to jump on our own.
I don't know the lad or anything, but Scott McTominay has been brilliant for Scotland. Regardless of whether or not he plays centre-back or centre-midfield, that boy gives you everything he has got.
Players like that are worth their weight in gold and you need to build around those sorts of players, because your flair players can't do the same job without those integral players. People like Scott, who do the ugly side of the game, are so important. We have been blinkered, but you need players who act like cogs for your team.
I think he gets unfair criticism because he doesn't have a big Lamborghini and he doesn't have about 19 watches on his wrist. Fair play to him, I like him and what I see makes him out to be a nice kid.
*Scotland are 8/1 to win Group A of Euro 2024 according to the latest football betting odds at BoyleSports.
Champions League Predictions
I think Inter are a dangerous side, people saw that last year when they got all the way to the final. Man City are going to be close of course, but Arsenal are hitting form at the right time as well.
I think it is a really tough one to call this year, especially because those bigger sides seem to be hitting form at the right time as well. No one seems to be talking about Real Madrid though, but you would not want to be playing them. Madrid, Inter, Man City and Arsenal are my favourites.
But then you have Bayern as well, even though they have been on a sticky patch right now. When you get to this stage of the season, you find the big players step up and deliver for the big clubs.
*Inter Milan are 12/1 to win this season’s Champions League according to the latest football betting odds at BoyleSports.
Aaron Wilbraham is my greatest ever signing as a manger
Christian was unplayable in his first year, but then he snapped his Achilles which was a nightmare injury. He was a nightmare to play against Christian. But the best pound-for-pound signing was probably a striker called Aaron Wilbraham.
He was fantastic, as a person he was top class too, plus he only cost me £80,000 and he was brilliant. In that Norwich team, he fitted in great and he was a top bloke as well which was so important for us at that time. He did a lot of the ugly work so well.
We went and played Tottenham away from home at the old White Hart Lane with Aaron and Grant Holt up front. We won 2-1 and the two of them were brilliant up front for us.
The two of them knew the lower league really well, they knew how to mix it and I don't think the Tottenham boys wanted to have anything to do with them.
But it's for that reason that he has to be my best signing, pound-for-pound.
Norwich Players Loved Horse Racing
It's one of the sports I am not actually into, I just can't get into horse racing! I used to have a flutter on the Grand National, but I've never been horse racing, but all of the Norwich lads went when I was there.
That was totally cool, I had no problem with that whatsoever. I was never one myself to go and watch the races because I don't understand the betting and how it all works!
Cheltenham days out for players never worried me
Behave yourselves and you'll be fine! A lot of the lads liked it for the day out, they could go there and have that day off as long as they could perform on the Saturday!
It was such a tight-knit group at Norwich that they did a lot of things like that. Stoke and Blackburn were the same as well.
*You can bet on all the action at the Cheltenham Festival courtesy of the latest Cheltenham odds at BoyleSports.
Ireland Job An Attractive Opening
There will be loads of people who want to get that and would put their name forward for it, Ireland is a great country and what it stands for and what it represents. Three managers there in their own right; with Neil Lennon and Steve Bruce as probably the most experienced thanks to their club management.
Lee Carsley has done well with England, but I think you will get a lot of people who want to do that job. And the fanbase behind it as well is spectacular; if you get Ireland qualified for a major tournament then everyone will go over for a brilliant time, just like with Scotland.
Whoever gets the Ireland job will have a good little nucleus there to try and do well with it, especially with the fanbase there.
Lambert In ‘No rush’ to Return to Management
I'm enjoying what I am doing at the moment, I really do. Teams have asked me to go in and help at a higher level, which I am mulling over. There are loads of things that I could do.
I've got time and no real rush or stress for me to come back in and do it.
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