The Manchester United Treble winners’ prediction will come as a surprise to many after the Red Devils reached the top of the Premier League table.
It is safe to say that not many would have expected Manchester United to be anywhere near the top of the Premier League at the start of the season. And yet, here we are in January and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have a 3 point lead over Liverpool, who they will take on at Anfield on Sunday.
The Red Devils have hit a purple patch lately, at least in the league. They might not be playing spectacular football but they are finding ways to come out of games with wins, which is a wonderful habit to have for any team. In fact, their last Premier League defeat came at the hands of Arsenal back in early November.
But despite their brilliant run of form, there are questions about their title credentials. And the latest has been raised by 1999 Treble winner, Andy Cole.
The former Manchester United striker does not believe that this current Red Devils side has what it takes to get the job done. As reported by Manchester Evening News, Cole said:
"“If you look at the league and teams like Manchester City, who have not played particularly well until about two or three weeks ago, they have two games in hand and can go a point behind Manchester United.“The players are just coming into form. I think the players appreciate the quality the players have and the quality Liverpool have.“And to close the gap in one season, that’s no mean feat, that’s going to take some consistency and those sides are yet to play very well.“But to win it this season is going to take some doing.“I don’t think we’ve got enough to go ahead and win it this season, but I feel we can look towards next season when I think it could be a lot better.”"
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Cole does have a point to be very honest. At no point this season have played brilliant football in a consistent basis. And on multiple occasions, you would consider them lucky to come out with all three points from games, which on any other day they could have lost based on their performance.
Then there is the matter of teams around them underperforming. Neither Liverpool nor Manchester City have shown the consistency that you expect from teams of their quality, which is a huge reason why United sit where they sit right now.
But you have to remember that we are still just 17 games into the season with 21 games still to be played. A lot can change over that period of time. Who could know that better than United fans, many whom must have felt the side were headed for a mid-table scrap after their 6-1 defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season.
So, do not be surprised if the Red Devils do slide down the table in the future. But that does not mean that you should stop believing either. Much weirder things have happened in football.