Jamie Carragher has warned Manchester United that their sparkling form does not automatically mean they will challenge for the title next season.
The Reds have become the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive matches by three goals, with Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba inspirational in midfield.
Whilst United continue to hunt down a potential top-four finish, their form has prompted talk of closing the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City next season.
Yet Carragher has warned that, like when the Liverpool sides he played in featured the likes of Fernando Torres, the boost provided by Fernandes' form may not be sustainable in the long term.
"United hope Fernandes is the man inspiring them to that first significant target of a Champions League place," he wrote in his column in The Telegraph.
"They look stronger with him because top-class players bring out more from those around.
"I often experienced similar reawakenings at Liverpool, especially when Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez joined the club.
"Within a few training sessions and games you realised you had a matchwinner so the belief soared and all the talk about managers ‘needing a clearout’ subsided.
"That is why I would offer a note of caution to United fans.
"Just as the club is never as far away from a revival as it might seem after nightmare defeats, they are not always as near to being title contenders as it appears after a promising run."
Yet Carragher does feel United are in a more promising position than his Liverpool sides were, thanks to their ability to strengthen in the transfer market.
"However the observation is received, comparing the United of now to Liverpool in the 2000s is a compliment, not an insult," he added.
"We were in a constant state of being close, but not close enough.
"United have the resources to bridge the gap to ensure their wait to return to the top is not so long."
