Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted that a top-four Premier League finish may be the most that his side can hope to salvage from their desperate football season.
A run of three losses in five games has seen the defending champions fall 15 points off the pace in the league, taking their tally of defeats to eight from 24 games.
United also face a fight to qualify for next season's Champions League, having slipped to seven points below the top four, and Rooney says that the time may have arrived to forget about the title.
Rooney's contract is due to expire at the end of next season, but despite recent media reports that he is in talks over a new deal, the 28-year-old was reluctant to discuss his future.