Four defeats in five but Man Utd concerns are 'absurd', says Berbatov

Manchester United may have suffered four defeats in their last five, but Dimitar Berbatov says it would be “absurd” to question Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The Red Devils burst out of the traps under a new boss, firing themselves into top-four contention and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Solskjaer was handed a three-year contract as a result, with the Norwegian having offered enough since succeeding Jose Mourinho to suggest that he was the right man for the job.

United have, however, been dumped out of the FA Cup, slipped to sixth in the Premier League and been beaten 1-0 by Barcelona in Europe over recent weeks.

Berbatov concedes that a lacklustre performance was put in against the Liga title holders at Old Trafford, but sees no cause for concern from a side that has improved markedly under a new boss.

The former Red Devils striker told Betfair: “It was a pretty boring game at Old Trafford on Wednesday if I'm honest.

“Barcelona did what they needed to do to get the result, they are an experienced team who know how to control the tempo, when to press and how to take the sting out of the game.

“The goal - which was Luis Suarez's all day long by the way - was one of the few moments of quality in the match, and it was all down to the vision and awareness of Lionel Messi. A superb pass.

“United's best chance fell to Diego Dalot but his header ended up going out for a throw-in and that summed up their night in many ways.

“It will be very difficult for them to turn this around on the big Camp Nou pitch in the second leg.

“I'm told it's now four defeats in five for Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer but absolutely no concerns from me on that, it's absurd to even suggest there would be.”

United are back in domestic action against West Ham on Saturday, but things are not about to get any easier for Solskjaer’s side as they seek to rediscover their spark.

A trip to Camp Nou will be made after facing the Hammers, before a run of testing Premier League fixtures will then see the Red Devils take on Everton, Manchester City and Chelsea.

The Red Devils must finish in the top four to qualify for next season's Champions League, but they can also secure their place by winning this year's competition come May.