Leeds United surprised many last season when they survived in their first year back in the Premier League with games to spare and looked a solid top-flight team.
They were unbeaten against Chelsea and Liverpool, and drew against Manchester United at Elland Road before beating the Red Devils at Old Trafford in a league game for the first time in 45 years.
The friendly between the two sides in Dublin tonight ended in a 1-1 draw at full time before Manchester United won on penalties.
Leeds will be aiming to establish themselves in the Premier League next season, although there is growing talk that the Whites could even challenge for a European spot.
However, a former Manchester United star has poured cold water over all the talk of Europe around Leeds before the new season starts in just over a week.
Manchester United legend shuts down Europe talk around Leeds United
Survival is likely to be Leeds’ biggest goal next season as they look to reestablish themselves as a Premier League team. But some feel Europe is not out of reach.
However, former Manchester United star John O’Shea has asked Leeds fans to control their hopes for next season and be more realistic, as he doesn’t see the Whites qualifying for Europe anytime soon.
He is aware that the Leeds fans could put real pressure on the players if they start being unrealistic and feel they should look to move to the next level gradually.
“It’s unrealistic for Leeds to get into Europe”, O’Shea said on ITV.
“Look, their fans won’t be thinking that now they have consolidated in the Premier League.
“They will think ‘we have consolidated now, let’s go get European football’, but that’s unrealistic.
“Those fans are ferocious at Elland Road, so they are always going to put the pressure on to go to that next level.”
Leeds United can dream despite the naysayers
Europe should not be the expectation next season as Leeds still need to establish themselves in the Premier League and ensure they do not find themselves in the relegation dogfight.
However, Leeds can still dream as their transfer business this summer has shown ambition, and they are expected to add a few more fresh faces to their squad.
The level of investment around Leeds means even a top-half finish will be a tough challenge, but the Whites have already shown plenty of resilience and character.
If there is an opening and certain teams underperform, Leeds are one of the teams who could sneak into the top eight that often gets you into Europe.
It was hardly a brutal shutdown! He just gave his opinion!