Alan Shearer did not say "Manchester United are f*****" in television footage from a week ago that resurfaced on Tuesday morning.
It was reported by several outlets that Shearer had accidentally used an expletive to describe United's plight, with the club currently on a run of just two wins in 10 games.
The reports were fuelled by a hastily cropped video that is doing the rounds on Twitter, which appears to show Newcastle great Shearer saying "Man United are f*****" ahead of last week's Manchester derby.
However, a quick Twitter search brings up a longer version of the video, in which Shearer can clearly be heard saying: "At the minute in terms of football teams, Man United are far... sorry, Man City are far, far ahead."
Shearer did, however, tell the BBC after United's draw with Chelsea on Sunday that he expects Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side to miss out on Champions League qualification.
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"From the positions they are in, I think Spurs and Chelsea will finish third and fourth, meaning United and Arsenal are the teams that miss out," Shearer said.
"Whether they (United) make next year's Champions League or not - and it looks highly unlikely now - they are miles away from being good enough to challenge for the title."
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