12 February 2023 , 21:46
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Michael Owen is adamant that Manchester United are capable of chasing down Arsenal at the top of the Premier League after his old side put Leeds to the sword on Sunday.
Two goals in the final 10 minutes at Elland Road from Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho was enough to propel Erik ten Hag's side above Manchester City and into second place on Sunday afternoon.
United's stint near the top was short-lived after Manchester City eased past Aston Villa to reclaim second spot just a few hours later. But Owen is convinced that Manchester United are firmly in the race for the title alongside the current top two - and he insisted that the fact that Arsenal and City still have to play each other twice could even work in United's favour over the coming weeks.
When he was asked if United had to be viewed as title contenders, Owen told Premier League Productions: "Absolutely. If Man City and Arsenal were playing like they were a few months ago, then I would say it’s between those two. But both of them are stumbling.
"Arsenal, one point from six. Man City, I can’t see them going on an amazing run like they have the last few years. They’ve got to play each other twice as well so there will be points dropped there. You have to include Manchester United, they’re second in the league! If you include Man City you’ve got to include United. There’s a lot of football to be played."
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Owen's comments are similar to those made by former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who hit back at his ex-teammate Gary Neville after the latter claimed his old side are not title contenders.
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Michael Owen believes Manchester United are firmly in the title race after being Leeds United on Sunday (Premier League YouTube)United are currently five points behind Arsenal but have played two more games than the current league leaders.
And while Keane believes that United are in within a chance of capitalising if Arsenal or Manchester City falter over the coming months, Neville is not convinced that the title is a realistic target for his old club - even though they have progressed massively under the guidance of Ten Hag this season.
After Neville claimed that United were not in the title race after analysing the game for Sky Sports on Sunday, Keane quickly retorted: "If you look at the table they must be in with a chance. Obviously Arsenal and City are ahead of them, but what they have to do is if any of them slip up they have to be ready to pounce and keep the pressure on.
"They won today [that] keeps the pressure on City. Considering the start to the season - disastrous start with the results against Brighton and Brentford - but where they are now I’d say they very much are in with a chance."