Gary Neville and Erik ten Hag are right about Manchester United title verdict

Erik ten Hag has been reluctant to label Manchester United as title contenders this season, but he can't ignore the fact that they are a lot closer than most people had imagined they would be.

United's focus is on facing Barcelona in the Europa League play-off tonight, and ahead of the game, they already received one small victory with Man City's impressive 3-1 win away at Arsenal.

The match lived up to the hype, with the two title favourites going head-to-head, but by full-time, there was also a focus on United in third, and the reality of how close they are to the summit.

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Ten Hag is right to have continuously avoided title talk this season, pointing out that there have been fewer matches played than usual by this stage of the campaign and that we are still only just over the halfway stage of the campaign.

All of that is true, but so too is the fact that United are only five points behind the two sides above them, though Arsenal still have a game in hand to play.

What is even more encouraging is that United have beaten both of those sides this season and have played against them twice, meaning every domestic match left this season will see them take on teams that are currently below them in the table.

If you look at the table in black and white, then of course United must be considered to have a chance of hitting form and closing the gap on those above them, but there are other factors to consider that still make it seem rather unlikely.

United have averaged two points per game this season, putting them on track to finish with 72 points if they maintain this level of play throughout the season, though that final tally can change drastically depending on a good or bad