Pranav Nair
Alan Shearer expects Manchester United to finish third in the Premier League this season
Speaking to BBC Sports (h/t Express), Premier League legend, Alan Shearer has tipped Manchester United to finish third in the league this season.
The Red Devils finished second last time around behind local rivals Manchester City. Despite being in the title challenge and also going top briefly, we could not keep up the momentum and finished 12 points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s side.
While finishing runners up showed progress positionally, there is still much work to be done before we win title number 21. Shearer, however, does not believe we can do so yet and has in fact even backed Chelsea to finish ahead of us.
City have landed the impressive Jack Grealish this summer and are, in all likelihood, well placed to retain their title. However, as Leicester City showed in the Community Shield, they can be beaten. Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola is yet to bring in a replacement for Sergio Aguero.
Chelsea, for their part, blow hot and cold but look set to welcome Romelu Lukaku back into their ranks. With a full pre-season under his belt, Thomas Tuchel will be better prepared to meet the Premier League challenge head-on.
While they are certainly a top side, United have similar quality coursing through their squad and can finish higher. Shearer, however, does not think so and has backed the Blues to go all the way. The ex-England striker also predicted Manchester United to finish third, with Liverpool coming in fourth.
“I’m expecting it to be much tighter at the top than last time, with four teams in with a chance of being champions, not just City and Chelsea.”
One cannot discount Liverpool who ended the season strongly last time around. With their major players back fit, Jurgen Klopp’s side are a fearsome opponent when at their best. United clearly have a fight on their hands to win the league, even with proper reinforcements.
The ball is in our court and it will settle nerves if we send out a statement against Leeds United on opening day. The night’s result could very well set the tone for the remainder of the campaign.
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Shearer isn’t the only BBC pundit to believe United will not go on to win the title this season. Rob Green, Chris Sutton and Matthew Upson all believe the Red Devils will finish top four, but nowhere close to landing the Premier League (h/t BBC Sport).
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has often exceeded expectations at Old Trafford and the onus is on him to do so once again. While pundits may say what they want, it is the team we put out onto the field that decides our destiny.
