Manchester United legend remains sceptical about club's title chances despite Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville doubts the Red Devils' chances of winning the Premier League this season despite the sensational return of Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford.
Manchester United have thus far enjoyed an impressive transfer window, strengthening their attack and defence by signing Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and Raphael Varane from Real Madrid, respectively. The signing of Ronaldo to bolster their attack is the icing on the cake.
That has made Manchester United one of the favourites to win the 2021-22 Premier League. However, Neville believes Manchester City and Chelsea have better overall rosters than United, something that doesn't change even with Ronaldo's arrival.
"I made predictions that it would be Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United, I'm not going to change that because of the signing of Ronaldo," said Neville.
"I'm going to stick with that because I don't think the Ronaldo signing makes them a better team than Chelsea, who are the Champions League winners, and Manchester City who were 20 points clear. Absolutely it brings them (United) closer to the title. But do I think they'll win the title? no I don't," Neville added.
Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the greatest players in the world despite being on the wrong side of 30, and will likely add another dimension to Manchester United's attack.
Earlier this summer, Ronaldo had publicly revealed his desire to leave Juventus, and was strongly linked with a move to Manchester City. But in a stunning turn of events, Manchester United entered the race for the 36-year-old's signature, snapping him up twelve years after he had left the club to join Real Madrid on a then world-record transfer.
Manchester United could sign a defensive midfielder after landing Cristiano Ronaldo
Manchester United now possess a wealth of attacking options after the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo. The Red Devils, though, lack depth in defensive midfield, an area they could strengthen before the transfer window closes on 31st August.
The lacklustre performances of Fred and Nemanja Matic against Southampton last weekend would be disconcerting for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. So despite a busy summer of high-profile arrivals, United could make a deadline-day move for Wolverhampton Wanderers' Ruben Neves or teenage sensation Eduardo Camavinga.
While Neves has been a fabulous performer for Wolves, Camavinga is one of the most exciting defensive midfielders in the world. He is already in the radars of a lot of top clubs across the continent, so the tussle for Camavinga's signature could get more intense next summer, when he'll become a free agent.