Gary Neville has predicted where Manchester United will finish (Picture: Sky Sports)
Gary Neville believes Manchester United have a ‘great chance’ of making the top-four this season and finishing above Premier League rivals Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Erik ten Hag’s side moved to fifth in the English top-flight on Sunday after beating West Ham 1-0 at Old Trafford.
Marcus Rashford’s 100th goal for the club was enough to separate the sides and maintain Manchester United’s momentum under Ten Hag.
United appear to be one of a number of clubs set to battle it out for a top-four spot this season, with five points currently separating third-placed Tottenham and sixth-placed Chelsea.
While current leaders Arsenal and defending champions Manchester City are threatening to pull away from their rivals, Neville has backed Manchester United to secure a top-four finish.
Neville is impressed by the ‘spirit’ his former team are showing under Ten Hag and believes United could benefit from the different levels of uncertainly at Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have won just a third of their league games this season to slip to ninth – eight points outside the top-four places and 15 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal.
United maintained their momentum with a narrow win over West Ham (Picture: Getty)
Chelsea have largely impressed under Graham Potter but have failed to win any of their last three league games, suffering a humbling 4-1 defeat to Brighton this weekend.
Tottenham, meanwhile, continue to blow hot and cold under Antonio Conte and lost two games in a row before Saturday’s comeback win at Bournemouth.
Asked to rate Manchester United’s top-four chances after Sunday’s 1-0 win over West Ham, Neville told Sky Sports: ‘I think they’ve got a great chance of finishing in the top-four now, a great chance.
‘There’s enough going on at Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham for United to feel confident that they can push through that bunch. I never would have thought that four or five weeks ago.
‘You look at United’s forward line, they might have the weaker players at this moment in time but there’s something happening with Erik ten Hag that is giving them a great spirit.’
Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has also backed Manchester United to finish above Liverpool for only the second time since 2018.
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He added: ‘Everyone just imagined that Manchester City and Liverpool would be clear again. I don’t think anyone could have foreseen what’s happening at Liverpool right now, I certainly didn’t.
‘I thought they were bankers to finish first or second, now they’ve got a battle just to get the top-four.
‘Right now Man United look better than Liverpool, that’s obvious. There’s more questions than answers at Liverpool. I don’t think they will get top-four now.’
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‘I never would have thought that four or five weeks ago.’