Dimitar Berbatov on the Man Utd forwards he still rates - and where they are ‘short of options’

Dimitar Berbatov has described this season as a ‘difficult’ one for Manchester United, but hopes that his former club can seal a top four finish come 22 May.

The Bulgarian will be returning to Old Trafford next month for the Legends of the North game between the Red Devils and Liverpool.

United have been in poor form in the Premier League, winning only one of their last five in the competition, including a 1-0 defeat to Everton last time out.

Speaking about the Red Devils’ campaign so far, Berbatov admits his former club haven’t been at their best, but can still finish in a Champions League place come the end of the season.

"Well, it’s been a difficult season, that’s for sure," he said on The Debate.

"That loss against Everton didn’t help, at all. The chance is still there, for sure, but Spurs are leading the chase for the top four.

"Until the end of the season, as we have witnessed before in the past, you never know. So I still hope United will pull together and qualify for the top four. I want to watch United in the Champions League, where they belong, and I still think they have a chance to do that."

Berbatov, who scored 56 goals in 149 appearances for United, believes the Red Devils are lacking options in attacking positions and admits the current squad struggle to keep a lead in fixtures.

"When you put it like this, I think it’s a bit short of options," he added.

"Cristiano Ronaldo still can score goals and I’m pleased with everything he’s doing so far.

"Anthony Elanga is emerging on the scene and he’s a great talent. I hope Marcus Rashford can find his footing and get into the form we know he has. He can score goals and terrorise defences.

"I can agree we are not scoring enough goals to win the games. I can clearly remember, and Wes [Brown] can back me up here, when winning 1-0, 1-0 down the road was enough to get three points. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen at the moment and, because of that, we are suffering and losing points where we should win points."

The Red Devils currently sit seventh in the league, six points behind fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur with seven games remaining.

This will be the fifth consecutive season where United have failed to win silverware after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the competition last month.