A member of the 1998-99 treble-winning squad does not think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s current crop will dethrone Liverpool come May
Andy Cole says going top of the Premier League is a “fantastic achievement” for Manchester United, but he does not believe they will win the title this season.
United reached the summit by beating Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor on Tuesday, thanks to a well-struck volley from Paul Pogba which found the net with the aid of a deflection.
That result saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side open up a three-point lead on second-placed Liverpool ahead of a trip to Anfield on Sunday, with optimism rising at Old Trafford after a stunning turnaround in fortunes over the festive period.
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The Red Devils have recovered from a slow start to the campaign by winning nine of their last 11 games, and they are still yet to experience a defeat on their travels.
United haven’t been in this position in the table at this stage of any season since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013, but Cole has played down talk of the top-flight crown heading back to Manchester come May.
The treble-winning striker feels his old club are heading in the right direction under Solskjaer, but doesn’t believe his ex-team-mate has enough strength in depth at his disposal to wrestle the trophy back from Liverpool this term.
“Can Manchester United go onto win the league this season? Probably not,” the Red Devils legend told talkSPORT.
“I think for Manchester United to be top on January 12, like Ole said, is a fantastic achievement considering where they were at a couple of months ago…
“Everyone was saying Ole shouldn’t be Manchester United manager and I think it speaks volumes how he’s turned it around… and how they’ve got confidence to be where they’re at now.
“If you look at the league and teams like Manchester City, who have not played particularly well until about 2-3 weeks ago… they have two games in hand and can go a point behind Manchester United [if they win both].
“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.”
