Former Man United star names surprise three teams in the Premier League title race

Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has spoken out on the title race this season after his old club went top of the Premier League this week.

The Frenchman believes Man Utd are very much one of the main contenders for the trophy this term, and named Liverpool and Leicester City as their main rivals in the competition.

This is a slightly surprise snub for the in-form Manchester City, who look back to their best in recent times after initially getting off to a slow start to the campaign.

Liverpool take on United at Anfield this weekend and have a good chance to reassert themselves in the title race if they can beat Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, and Leicester can’t be ruled out either.

The Foxes notably won the title back in 2015/16 in what was one of the most memorable upsets in footballing history, and they’ve often looked like being top four contenders since then, but without ever quite managing it over the course of the season.

Silvestre seemingly rates them above Man City as contenders this season, however.

Speaking to Ladbrokes, as quoted by the Metro, Silvestre said: “For me there are only three teams in this year’s title race: Man United, Liverpool, and I’m going to put Leicester in there as well.

“It’s a wide-open season and it’s good for Man United to be in the race instead of playing catch-up and looking on from a distance. Now it’s just a case of staying up there. They’re in a very positive position at this point in the campaign.”

He added: “There’s enough quality in there to challenge for the title. But football is a funny game; you can’t afford to relax because you’ll slip down one or two more places in the table. You need to stay focused.

“I wouldn’t have predicted Man United to be at the top of the table in January back at the start of the season, but that’s the beauty of the game. They’ve taken advantage of other teams’ misfortunes. It’s why the Premier League in general is so interesting. It’s great to see United in that position; I’d call it a very good surprise.”