“I can’t see past City and Liverpool as the top two"- Rio Ferdinand

The former United defender believes that competitors like Liverpool and Manchester City have gotten better, according to him “City look stronger than ever” and “Liverpool have improved again”:

“There seems to be a lot of negativity around United at the moment, and that doesn’t bode well.

“The manager is obviously not happy about the signings he hasn’t been able to make and not having certain players available on their pre-season tour, which isn’t nice to hear if you are a young kid trying to make your mark on the fringes of the squad.” Ferdinand told The Mirror.

“He seems to have put a nail in that coffin with the way he has spoken.

“And then there has been the saga of Anthony Martial going home from the tour in America and not coming back.

“In the meantime, Manchester City look stronger than ever and Liverpool have improved again.

“They have brought in a £60 million goalkeeper, I think Naby Keita will make a great impact, we know of Xherdan Shaqiri’s quality, and they have added Fabinho to the mix as well.

“I’m a United fan, and I want to see them win the title, but I fear it’s going to be very difficult for that to happen this season.

“I can’t see past City and Liverpool as the top two — and to say that about the two clubs who wouldn’t be top of any United fan’s Christmas card list is horrendous.”