Manchester United right-back Antonio Valencia has revealed his 'sadness' at his team's lack of a Premier League title challenge this season.
A disappointing domestic campaign has left the Red Devils in fifth position in the table, some 16 points off the league leaders Leicester City and also nine points off second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Valencia, who has recently returned from a five-month absence, is disappointed that his team are not in the title race at this late stage, but has insisted that finishing in the top four remains a priority.
"When you are playing against opponents who are challenging for the title, in the shape of Tottenham and Leicester, they are going to be big fixtures. It will be interesting but a little bit sad in a way because we feel that we should be fighting for the title itself," Valencia told MUTV.
"But we have to make sure we keep on this winning run in order to achieve what we need to. It will be exciting for us as we are playing for our place in the Champions League next season.
"We know how important historically the Champions League is here, how happy it would make the fans to qualify for that competition again for next season. So the main battle is to get back into that top four."
Man United will travel to Tottenham in the league this weekend.
Matt Law
