Manchester United News Roundup: Duo injured till January, ex-Player gives a damning assessment of squad and more - 17th December 2020

Manchester United will head into the game against Sheffield United knowing three points could take them as high as 5th in the league table. The Red Devils also have a game in hand against Burnley.

Here is the latest from Old Trafford 17th December 2020.

Solskjaer confirms Manchester United duo will be out till January

Manchester United's defensive duo of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones will be out till January. The Argentine was making his way back to full fitness but picked up a calf strain.

Michy Batshuayi of Chelsea is helped up by Marcos Rojo of Manchester United.

Jones has been out since last season with a knee injury that required surgery. Edinson Cavani is unlikely to be risked for the game against Sheffield but will be available in subsequent games.

Manchester United are years away from a title challenge, says Andy Cole

Former Manchester United Number 9 Andy Cole feels that his former side are nowhere close to challenging for the title. Cole was a teammate of United manager Solskjaer in the late '90s.

Bruno Fernandes (15 goals, 11 assists) equals the record for being directly involved in the most goals in a player's first 24 Premier League appearances. Also 26 by Andy Cole (22 goals, 4 assists). #MUFC

— Emma Sanders (@em_sandy) December 5, 2020

Speaking about the Red Devils, Cole said:

"Manchester United are definitely not contenders for winning the Premier League this season. I still think the club are a few years away from realistically competing to win the title. I think the priority for Manchester United at the moment is to qualify for the Champions League and have a good cup run in domestic competitions."

"Qualifying for the Champions League has to become the norm and the minimal expectation again before the club can move forward. The best players want to play in the Champions League," Cole added.

⏮ Camp Nou. 1998.Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke doing what they do 🤝 pic.twitter.com/LbeSWkOJzn

— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) December 2, 2020

Fred sets teammates Premier League title challenge

Fred wants his teammates to achieve the consistency to win the Premier League. The Brazilian has quickly become one of the first names on the teamsheet in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side due to his industry.

"We’re very close to the top of the table and we’ve got some big games coming up in December. If we can win all of them, we’ll be very close to the leaders at the top of the league or we could even take first place. So we’ll look to win every game and I’m certain our team will do everything to reach the top of the table and stay there," said Fred.