Dimitar Berbatov's furious response to whether Man United can challenge for Premier League title this season

Dimitar Berbatov issued a brutal response to the idea of Manchester United challenging Manchester City or Arsenal for the Premier League title this season.

Erik ten Hag’s men have been on a blistering run since the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as United strengthen their place in the Premier League top four.

The Red Devils are third in the league table and are five points behind league leaders Arsenal, who have two matches in hand over United.

United are still in all cup competitions and Ten Hag could secure his first major silverware with the club if his side beat Newcastle in the League Cup final.

Despite a remarkable turnaround for Ten Hag this season, the Red Devils’ potential league title challenge has been downplayed amid City and Arsenal’s battle.

Berbatov, who spent four seasons with United, lifted two Premier League titles and a League Cup under legendary former Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The 42-year-old Bulgarian ex-striker initially dropped an X-rated response on whether United are in the league title race this season.

When asked if United are in the league race, Berbatov told Betfred: “For f**k sake, of course they are because they’re in third position at the moment.

“I’m happy to see them in the position they’re in and where they’re moving to, but especially in the case of Manchester United and Tottenham, consistency is the main quality you need if you want to be a champion because the Premier League is a marathon, not a sprint.

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“You need to play consistently well and even when you’re not playing well on the day, you still need to figure out how to get the points. This is what all Premier League champions have done.

“It’s so interesting at the moment because you have Arsenal dropping points, Manchester City have been dropping points and Manchester United is crawling behind them and hoping to surprise everybody.

In my opinion, it’s too early to say who will win the Premier League title this season.”