Jose Mourinho insists Manchester United will have been “a bit lucky” if his former club secure a top four place.
The Tottenham boss, speaking on Friday, insists that his current club are a Champions League team and doesn’t see them as inferior to his old employers.
But Spurs cannot secure a spot in Europe’s premier club competition next term, after a disappointing campaign, with only the Europa League on offer if they can win their final two games – and other results work in their favour.
United remain in the top four hunt, after a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on Thursday night.
Mourinho’s old side opened the scoring through Marcus Rashford, minutes after Wilf Zaha had appeared to be fouled in the United penalty area; after the match official waved play on, VAR elected not to intervene.
Stats show that United have benefited from the most overturned VAR decisions in the Premier League this season, and been awarded the most penalties.
Tottenham’s next fixture sees them take on Leicester this weekend, and put to him that Spurs can help United seal a top four finish with a win over the Foxes, Mourinho issued a pointed response.
“First of all I’m not looking to that fight, I don’t know mathematically what is possible for them,” began the Portuguese.
“I think they play the last game is between them [Leicester and United] and I don’t know if things can be decided there.
“I don’t know if Chelsea is in a safe position – I don’t think they are. I think they still are in this fight.
“If Manchester United does it, they will do it by playing very well in the second part of the season and when you play well you deserve, and on top of that everybody knows that they were a bit lucky.
“More than one time, luck that others have not had.
“We didn’t have, for example, that luck.”