Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Daniel Feliciano

Manchester United told Cristiano Ronaldo isn't enough to compete with Man City for Premier League title

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy believes Cristiano Ronaldo isn't enough to win Manchester United the Premier League title this season.

The Reds currently sit top of the league with ten points from four games thanks to Ronaldo 's brace in his second debut at the weekend, a 4-1 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford.

But despite their good start to the season, Murphy believes that the Man United squad and starting lineup lacks balance and while they look good going forward they're still not as good as their closest title rivals Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the former Fulham and Spurs midfielder said: "The last few seasons there have been many games where they have scored a lot of goals and looked very good from an attacking perspective. Their problem has come in the last couple of seasons, especially the last one, when they come up against the big five. They struggle to win games against the best opposition.

"Can they transfer that feel-good factor into the big games and pick a team that has the right balance to compete with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City? I don't think so. Even with Ronaldo there.

"Are they better than Chelsea? I don't think so. Are they better than Man City and Liverpool? I don't think so. I don't think just Ronaldo gives the team balance. He's a wonderful striker who will score a lot of goals, wonderful player. But the balance of that team, and squad, isn't the same level as the teams I've just said."

Liverpool and Chelsea are currently level on points with United in second and third, while City round off the top four with nine points after winning their last three games in a row.

Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.