Mediocre Manchester United do not deserve to achieve Sir Jim Ratcliffe's first target

Man United could end up participating in the Europa Conference League next season and they would not be able to have any complaints.

Amad's dramatic winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup at Old Trafford last month was supposed to mark a game-changing juncture in Manchester United's season.

Instead, it is now in great danger of marking the moment where their season peaked. Saturday's 2-2 draw with Bournemouth saw United produce another limp performance that was fortune to earn a point.

Erik ten Hag's side were second best at the Vitality Stadium, offering next to nothing in attack outside of the moments that led to Bruno Fernandes bagging a first brace of the season. The Reds, who were unchanged from the 2-2 draw with Liverpool six days earlier, were bereft of ideas, performing like a team who are already on the beach.

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That type of performance, however, has been the norm all season, with United's style of play proving impossible to describe. As chaotic as their style might be, leading to entertainment for those who are of a neutral persuasion, it always leads to the opposition taking full advantage.

United, week-in, week-out, are churning out flat, uninspiring and dismal displays. It is approaching the point where they are, outside of the chaos, which generally leads to their opponent capitalising, boring to watch, such is the confusion about what they are actually trying to achieve.

Going forward, United were lost against Andoni Iraola's well-drilled team, so much so that Ten Hag was having to instruct Amad what to do after his introduction at half-time. Rasmus Hojlund was anonymous through the middle and Marcus Rashford offered next to nothing on the left.

In midfield, the same problems reared their ugly heads, with Casemiro's regression taking another step towards a point of no return. It is hard to recall one player's form plummeting so quickly in the way his has this season.

Again, the gap between the defence and the midfield was big enough to park a collection of double-decker buses. In the full-back berths, neither Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka covered themselves in glory, with the former producing his worst showing for some time, regularly getting beaten down Bournemouth's left, particularly in the first half.

United conceded 20 shots in total, meaning they have now faced 107 in four matches since the March international break. In that time, the Reds, staggeringly, have lost just once, and that happened to be on a night where they produced their best performance since the most recent hiatus.

They were incredibly fortunate to take a point off both Brentford and Liverpool, despite leading both games heading into the closing stages, and should have been down and out against Bournemouth by half-time. As a result, they have now won just one of their last seven league matches and that was as a result of converting two penalties against an Everton team that has not won away from home since mid-December.

United are now seventh in the table and in great danger of recording their lowest finish in the Premier League era. Try as Ten Hag might to avoid answering questions on the subject, there is no escaping it.

United set the ambition of improving on last season's third-placed finish at the start of this term and Champions League qualification was a bare minimum expectation. With just a month of the season remaining, participation in the Europa Conference League is very much a realistic probability.

Regardless of the injury situation, Ten Hag has had enough talent at his disposal to produce better results. The players, too, are capable of producing far better than what they have and are by no means blameless in this mess.

This reporter has often backed Ten Hag and has called for him to be given a chance to prove his worth under the new regime, which is poised to include a competent football structure. However, it is becoming increasingly hard to defend him as a result of the on-field performances being produced.

Winning the FA Cup could still save Ten Hag from the axe, but it already feels as though lifting the trophy aloft on May 25 will be a tall order because of the way United are currently playing. On the presumption they get past Coventry City and make it to the final, it is highly likely they will face Manchester City, who have already done a job on them twice this season.

The FA Cup, nevertheless, does still represent United's best hope of salvaging something from this campaign, as qualifying for either the Europa League or the Europa Conference League will not count as success. It will be a huge step in reverse after winning a trophy and clinching a top four finish last season.

United's next two league games are against the division's bottom two and both are at Old Trafford, meaning anything less than six points and two commanding performances will spell real trouble. Even if they win both of those, though, Champions League football will still almost certainly be a step too far.

United do not deserve Champions League qualification and that is the bottom line. They have performed like a mediocre Europa Conference League side and they can have no complaints if that is what they end up 'achieving'.

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