Former Manchester United pair Gary Neville and Roy Keane have disagreed on whether the Reds are in a title race this season - with the latter staking his claim for a top-flight trophy.
United very briefly leapfrogged Manchester City into second place following Sunday's 2-0 win at Leeds, late goals from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho enough to hand Erik ten Hag's side a battling three points. City swiftly counter-punched with a commanding 3-1 win at home to Aston Villa, reaffirming their two-point advantage.
But with United having already played both City and Arsenal twice, while that same pair meet for the first time this season on Wednesday, points are there to be dropped for both Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta. But despite the current table handing United an outside chance, former Reds captain Neville believes this is not their season to win it.
RATINGS: Rashford and Shaw good in United win vs Leeds
"I genuinely don’t think they are in the title race," He told Sky Sports. "What was interesting was I was watching the second half [vs Leeds] and I was thinking they weren’t going to get the goal, they weren’t going to get the win, and I thought Erik ten Hag was trying to prioritise the Barcelona game this week because he’d put Martinez and Varane on the bench to save them for Barcelona on Thursday and played obviously Shaw and Maguire at centre-back today.
"If he thought he could win the Premier League, he would prioritise the Premier League, so even he’s thinking he’s obviously rotating his squad and got away with it today and it’s worked for him. I just don’t think they can win the Premier League, for the reasons that they’ve got so many games, and I just don’t think they’re at the level of City or Arsenal."
However his former teammate Keane disagreed, pointing to the facts of the table as proof United are in with a chance. Ten Hag's side are five points short of table-toppers Arsenal, albeit having played twice more, but continue to find three points while others falter.
"If you look at the table they must be in with a chance," Keane responded. "Obviously Arsenal and City are ahead of them, but what they have to do is if any of them slip up they have to be ready to pounce and keep the pressure on. They won today, keeps the pressure on City. Considering the start to the season - disastrous start with the results against Brighton and Brentford - but where they are now I’d say they very much are in with a chance.
"United just have to keep doing what they’re doing and winning football matches. You can slip up the odd time, but they couldn’t afford to slip up today. Eventually their quality did show, particularly the first goal was brilliant, but the manager mentioned there players coming off the bench, and that’s where the squad comes into it. A lot of games coming up - Barcelona - I don’t think he was taking chances.
"I felt the starting 11 was more than strong enough to win the game, and rightly so, but Man United have to look at the table and the players and the manager and staff, look at the table and say listen, if City do slip up - obviously they bounced back today, and Arsenal are having a difficult week or two - we have to be ready to pounce, just in case. Obviously though City and Arsenal are ahead of them."
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