Thursday, 13th March, 2014
Michael Owen has backed his former club Manchester United to be back challenging for the Premier League title sooner rather than later.
The Red Devils have slumped down the league pecking order this season under David Moyes and look unlikely to qualify for next season's Champions League; it would be the first time since 1995 that Manchester United have been absent from the blue ribbon competition.
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Another of Owen's old clubs, Liverpool, experienced a similar decline, only sporadically mounting a challenge throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and still have not won a top flight title since 1990.
Owen does not expect Manchester United to have such a barren run however and feels they will be back challenging soon.
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"I think nowadays it's more competitive than it's ever been", Owen told Inside Futbol, when asked if Manchester United could follow the Liverpool route.
"Obviously, over the last one or two decades, they've always had one challenger or two challengers maybe, whether it be Arsenal or Chelsea. But now, I think it's getting tougher and tougher, all the big teams are getting stronger and there's more of them. Liverpool have come back into the fray, and then Tottenham and Everton are making giant strides.
"But Manchester United will always be a competitor, just because of the very size of them. If they're not achieving this year, then I'm sure they'll rectify things in a short period of time and they’ll be back.
"Whether they're going to be back winning again immediately is for debate, but they'll certainly be back in the top echelons of the game."
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