Ambition is extremely important in football. If no player or club had aspirations, hopes of pushing on, generally improving, or dreams of success, then it would make for a very boring spectacle.
Just ask Che Adams. Having moved to previously relegation threatened Southampton last summer, he decided to throw form out of the window and insist the Premier League title was within the Saints grasp. As it painstakingly clear right now, that didn't turn out all too well.
Hear @McTominay10 talk about coping with injury, @daniel_james_97 sprinting to celebrate *that* @ManUtd goal and lots more in part two of The Huddle. #hometeam (2/2)pic.twitter.com/D7yvQIu4rE
— adidas UK (at ?) (@adidasUK) May 13, 2020
Then there is Daniel James, who enjoyed a rip-roaring start to life as a Manchester United player, but just as with the team in general, has struggled maintain any sort of form for an extended period of time this season. Still, injuries have been unkind to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, which is why James believes that next season, with everyone fit, United will push for the Premier League title.
Not on an Adams scale, sure, but it's a touch (over)ambitious to suggest United will suddenly find themselves on Liverpool's level. Well, he seems to think they can anyway.
"I think next season is obviously massive for us, we’ve had quite a few boys injured, a few long-term obviously at different times, Marcus [Rashford], Paul [Pogba] and yourself," the Welshman told teammate Scott McTominay in an episode of The Huddle.
"I think once we get them all back and everyone is back together, I think with the rotation of the squad we’ve got a great chance of challenging for that title next season."
Scott McTominay was slightly more grounded with his response, insisting that United can't get too carried away with chasing titles just yet, but did state that is the rightful ambition of everyone in the squad.
"It’s easy to say we want to do this and we want to do that and I feel like we do a lot of talking and different people asking, I know the expectation at Man United and the expectation every player has in the squad is to go and win a title but I feel like we just have to keep our feet on the ground," McTominay replied.
"Take it game-by-game next year and see where it gets you. Everybody’s ambition has to be to win trophies, we’re at Manchester United and ever since I’ve come in to the first team that demand for winning football matches is understood by every single player and it’s just been results that have let us down every now and again. We have to be extremely consistent.
"So I think it’s definitely exciting times and obviously we’re just going to wait and see how next season will pan out once this one's done. We don’t know timeframes, we don’t know any dates or fixtures which have been arranged, we just have to wait."
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Source : 90min