"Being out of contention for the title at this stage two years in a row is not good enough for United.
"It has not happened here for over 10 years and it is disappointing for everyone at the club.
"We cannot underestimate the value of the FA Cup. It is a great trophy to win and I am sure Arsenal think the same.
"But it is not something that will salvage our season, it is just something we have to win.
"It is difficult to explain why we have scored so few goals.
"Sometimes we didn't haven't managed to get an early goal and then we have found it difficult to create chances.
"Overall though, we have lacked consistency. We haven't reached the levels we are capable of often enough, so we have dropped points and ended up where we are now, third in the league.
"Maybe Arsenal will drop some points which will allow us to get into second but the main thing for us just now is to try and get back into top form by winning all our remaining games."
On being dropped:
"It is disappointing to be left out of the team.
"As a player you want to play all the games but obviously I have not had the same sharpness recently.
"The boss decided rest me, so I have to wait and make sure I am ready for the next occasion."