‘This team’s way off it’: Roy Keane tells Everton to ‘forget about’ Champions League football

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Everton drew 1-1 at home to Manchester United on Sunday.

Pundit Roy Keane has told Sky Sports (01/03, 4:25pm) that he thinks Everton are ‘way off’ challenging for Champions League football.

The Toffees were in action against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, and took an early lead when David De Gea’s clearance cannoned into the net off Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Bruno Fernandes rescued a point for United with a superb long-range strike, but there was late drama as Calvert-Lewin’s deflected goal was controversially ruled out in injury time.

Everton had to settle for a point, leaving Carlo Ancelotti’s men in 11^th place in the Premier League table, five points off the top five.

With Manchester City potentially booted out of the Champions League for the next two years, fifth place may be good enough for Champions League qualification this season.

Everton are part of the chasing pack, and five points isn’t insurmountable, whilst Europa League qualification could drop down to 8^th place, which Everton are just three points off.

Now though, pundit Roy Keane thinks Everton can ‘forget about’ challenging the top five or six, believing that Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers may be better-positioned.

Keane thinks Everton are always threatening but never quite have the quality to break into the Champions League places, and believes they’re ‘way off’ now, even highlighting the trouble in bringing top quality players to Goodison Park if they can’t get into Europe.

“This idea that they can challenge the top five or six, no, forget about it,” said Keane. “They’ve got a long way to go yet, and that’s even for challenging the top six, we’re talking about top four. Sheffield United have obviously improved, Wolves now will be thinking top four.”

“We’ve been talking about Everton for the last five or 10 years, threatening, always spending money, they’ve had some very good managers – maybe not of this real quality – but it’s attracting these players, players still want to go to a club where they think they might win titles and play in the Champions League, and this team’s way off it,” he added.