Where Erik ten Hag thinks Manchester United would finish if they had a fully fit squad

Erik ten Hag is confident Manchester United would have finished closer to a top-four position had they not been ravaged by injury throughout the season.

United are currently sixth in the Premier League with five games left to play and are on course to miss out on Champions League qualification given that they are still 13 points behind Aston Villa, albeit they have played a game more.

Ten Hag is still eager to look at the positive of reaching a second successive FA Cup Final, but there can be no ignoring the huge disappointment of a worse Premier League position when they had ended last season in third.

It is important to factor in the serious injury issues when evaluating United's season so far, with the club having experienced 61 separate instances of injury or illness that have caused a senior player to miss a match. However, it has often been an easy excuse to fall back onto when standards haven't been met on the pitch.

Ten Hag is still certain United would have finished higher in the league had the injury issues not have been as bad and he believes further investment will be required this summer to do so next season.

"This year we stand still but I think when everyone is available definitely we are competing for the top four," he told reporters ahead of the Premier League clash with Burnley. "I’m confident of that. Although I have to say there are some teams … it is not anymore just a two horse or three horse race in the Premier League, there is Villa, there is Spurs, there is Newcastle. So many good teams - six or seven teams who all can compete. Chelsea don’t forget them. They are all competing for the top four and we are one of them but we are not in this moment in the position to compete for no. 1 or no. 2. That is fact.

"But we can come closer if we make a good window. I think where we were last season and we had 30 goals with Rashy to add a striker which we did with Rasmus Hojlund and add an additional quality midfielder with Mason Mount and we want to play more from the back and we add a good goalkeeper. So then you get closer and also this summer we have to make our chances on positions which strengthen us. We have to strengthen ourselves in the quality and in key positions and also in the depth of the squad which I think is one of the lessons from this season."