Rio Ferdinand performs major Manchester United U-turn with Premier League top four prediction

Rio Ferdinand has changed his tune regarding Manchester United and the UEFA Europa League over the course of four months.

On Saturday, Erik ten Hag's men dropped further points in their uphill struggle to catch up with the top-four challengers and subsequently clinch a spot in next season's reformed UEFA Champions League. Bruno Fernandes' two equalisers rescued a draw away to Bournemouth.

It leaves United now one place worse off in the Premier League standings, due to Newcastle's triumph over Tottenham earlier in the day. They sit seventh on 50 points, while Aston Villa sit fourth with 60 points and the opportunity to extend that gap against Arsenal on Sunday.

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"It's an uphill task [to qualify for the Champions League] now. I was confident about a month or two ago, but now no, I can't see it," the former Reds defender told talkSPORT prior to yesterday's match.

"I look at the results that are coming through and Spurs are still churning out a win here and there.

"Villa are in a bit of a funny patch but I just think they're both too far ahead for us. Man United aren't the most consistent team as it is anyway, it's not like Man United are on an unbelievable roll and you go, 'Actually, we could bang out six or seven wins on the bounce.'

"We've not done that all season, so why is it going to happen now? So, I just can't see Man United being able to get past those two teams to get into the Champions League, not at all."

He was then asked if this outcome would only suit his former club should they miss out on European football entirely for next campaign, allowing the players to focus only on the domestic fight.

"Maybe, but also cup competitions can galvanise the place, it can get the place up," he admitted. "Man United are in the FA Cup right now, if we said, 'Listen, just concentrate on winning the league,' we'd have no hope now, nothing else to play for at all.

"So sometimes if you can use cup competitions to your advantage and you can get a bit of momentum in them, they can be a spark plug for league form as well.

"Listen, without Champions League football at Man United, it's very disappointing but I always look at it from a player's perspective.

"Jason [Cundy] you'll understand, Andy [Goldstein] maybe not, you want to get your hands on some silverware, if you've got a chance to do it, you take it."

Though rewinding as far as December, Ferdinand, then optimistic of United's top four chances, had an entirely different outlook on the Europa League.

"I think, best case worst case scenario, if you know what I'm talking about, I would have rather go out of Europe completely to concentrate on the League and get players back fit rather than get into the Europa League and having to exert themselves even more," he told TNT Sports in the aftermath of the 1-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage.

Of course, the ex-defender's prior comment was in reference to this season rather than the next. Still, it shows the reality that United face as they edge towards a step down in competition on the continental stage as things stand.