Alan Shearer insists it will take a 'miracle' for Newcastle United to qualify for the Champions League next season. The Magpies sat third in the table at Christmas, but recent struggles have seen Eddie Howe's side slip to sixth following the defeat to defending champions Manchester City.
Europe remains the target for Newcastle, who still hold games in hand on the majority of their closest rivals. However, Liverpool and Tottenham have both capitalised on United's recent poor form to leapfrog them in the table.
Shearer believes the Magpies' current position still represents a 'remarkable achievement', and claimed as early as October that he did not expect his former side to remain in the top four come the end of the season. The club's all-time goalscorer believes usurping Liverpool and Tottenham will prove a step too far this time around, but is confident it will only be a 'matter of time' before Newcastle are mixing it with Europe's elite once again.
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He told William Hill: “I think it would be a miracle if Newcastle were to get into the top four. The job that Eddie Howe is doing with the squad that he has got, and when you compare it to all of the others in the top four race that he is battling against, to be in third/fourth/fifth for most of the season is a remarkable achievement.
“If they were to finish in any European place then that would be classed as a great season because looking back to where they were and where they are, it’s a huge, giant step in such a small amount of time. It’s going to take patience and little bit of understanding, but the more transfer windows they have and as they bring in better players, the better it will be. And that is going to happen, so it is only going to be a matter of time.”
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