Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has all but given up hope of catching Chelsea at the top of the Premiership, claiming that the Red Devils need a miracle to prevent Chelsea from lifting the league title.
With just eight games of the Premiership campaign remaining, United trail Jose Mourinho's men by a massive 11 points, and the Blues show no sign of slipping up even at this late stage.
Silvestre is aware that even if Chelsea somehow contrived to lose, United would still need to win all their remaining games to clinch a remarkable championship win.
The French international said: "It would be a miracle if we caught them now. The gap is too big. It has been big for a long time and we had chances to close it but we didn't take them."
"That is football. We have to wait until next season for another chance but for now we have to do everything we can to try and finish second and avoid having to go into the Champions League qualifiers," he added.
The situation is even more galling for the FA Cup semi-finalists given they are on a 19-match unbeaten run and have lost just once in the league since the opening weekend reverse at Chelsea.
It was the succession of draws that followed the Stamford Bridge setback which really killed United's title aspirations, with tomorrow's opponents Blackburn among the sides to benefit from the early-season sluggishness.
Silvestre could find himself with a new central defensive partner for the encounter with Rovers as Rio Ferdinand is struggling with a hamstring strain. If Ferdinand is ruled out, Wes Brown will almost certainly shift across from full-back, offering Gary Neville his first start in a month.
