Throwing it back a couple of months ago, Man United were languishing in the bottom half of the table after home losses to Crystal Palace and the demolishing by Tottenham. Then, if you could have asked me if United even had a chance at getting into the top 4, I would have said - NEVER!

December finally came around and the greatest Premier League filter, the Christmas schedule, had United remaining on the sieve comfortably. A last-minute win against Wolves which was swiftly followed by a hard-fought wing against Aston Villa had fans believing in the impossible dream.

That last-ditch Eric Bailly block felt season-defining. The hugs and comradery at the final whistle when players mobbed Bailly felt like belief had been sparked in the players.

As a fan, it is hard not to get excited. I have been so nervous to the point I never watch games anymore until we have a discernible lead. Even then I am jittery at the thought of a last-minute collapse in a match.

I am badly willing the players on but in the back of my mind, there are three massive concerns that I have that might see us fall out of contention.

1: Bruno Fernandes Injury.

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This is the biggest one for me. Despite what rival fans might say, calling him penandes, for example, many would snap your hand clean off if you offered them Bruno. Many of these rival fans even have them as the prized piece in their Fantasy Football and as Captain.

As a team, we have an unfortunate overreliance on the player which could cost us in the long term. His attitude is by far the biggest galvanizing agent and we seem to lack that leadership whenever he is off the pitch.

While Pogba could fill in that role, he doesn't have that presence that Bruno Fernandes offers plus his glass ankles would probably force him off the pitch after 3 back to back matches.

It has to be said. We are f'ed without Bruno!

2: The Europa League.

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Ahhh - The glorious Europa League.

I still don't know how we managed to royally screw up our chances of getting into the last 16 of the Champions League, but here we are.

Playing Thursday night football is absolutely the worst thing that you could ever want in an already fixture congested season.

Man United faces Real Sociedad who were at some point first in La Liga but have currently fallen off. Regardless, they have one of the best players the Premier League has ever seen in David Silva and United could be forced to play a stronger team than they would have liked if they want to progress.

If it were up to me, I would do a Jurgen Klopp and play the kids despite the opposition. If we get knocked out, the fewer games we will have to play which can only be a bonus to the squad.

3: Fatigue

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Coming off the Europa League point, Man United cannot afford to play too many games this season if they want to compete in the League.

Chelsea, Tottenham, and Man City all have better quality and depth than Man United. Therefore, if United were to stumble in the league, these three teams would not hesitate to take advantage of that.

Fatigue leads to injuries and with games coming thick and fast, losing one of your most important players could see United lose or Draw their next couple of games, and what was a title challenge could become another top 4 race.

Conclusion

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That said, there is a lot of luck that is going to come into play this season. The fewer injuries you have the better.

If United can keep winning the games they should win and scrap through games against league challengers, we could be in the conversation after 30 games.

How crazy would United fans go if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a club legend, brought home number #21 in 2021? It is written in the stars.