Erik ten Hag has admitted he is under “great pressure” to get Manchester United back into the top four, but insists the same applies to the other big players in the Premier League.
United donated £227 million on six new signings last summer, though that was dwarfed by the £265 million spent by Chelsea.
And Newcastle was one of six other clubs to spend more than £100 million, with the Tyneside club’s £123 million summer spending following their £90 million splurge in January.
United are currently three points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, albeit with one game left to play, and Ten Hag admits there is no secret that the club needs to return to the Champions League.
“I accept the way it is, I accept that pressure,” the United manager said on Tuesday ahead of Nottingham Forest’s visit to Old Trafford.
“But also for the manager of Chelsea, of Newcastle United, those clubs who have invested a lot in their squad. It’s a lot of pressure for all of us to get into the top four. We want to be in the top four and fight for trophies, that’s our goal.
“We are aware that the competition is tough, but so are the seven or eight clubs battling for the top four. For anyone watching the Premier League, it’s great for them, it’s very exciting for them .I look at a process of how we perform.
“Of course we also have to get the results, but the process is right, we are making progress and I think we have a good chance and a good chance of getting into that top four.”
United beat Burnley 2-0 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday to set up a quarter-final meeting with Charlton Athletic.
Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane missed the game due to their involvement in last Sunday’s World Cup final with Argentina and France respectively and Ten Hag said he was unsure if the pair would be available to face Forest.
But while Ten Hag praised Martinez for winning the World Cup with Argentina, the Dutchman told his central defender that the celebration should be short-lived given the need to quickly refocus on household affairs.