Manchester United favourites for top four, says former goalkeeper Mark Bosnich
Manchester United are favourites for the top four and are primed to challenge for the Premier League title "sooner rather than later", according to Mark Bosnich.
United know a win against Southampton will move them into third in the table as they look to take advantage of both Chelsea and Leicester losing at the weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have been among the form teams in the league, continuing their pre-lockdown form by extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 matches with victory at Aston Villa on Thursday.
"I think they have been very good for some time, even before the restart," former United goalkeeper Bosnich said.
"The restart has just confirmed what everybody thought and basically proved a lot in terms of the fact that Pogba alongside Fernandes has turned them into a formidable force.
"Even before that, they were on a tremendous run but seeing them after this - even though obviously they were a little bit rusty in their opening game against Spurs - they have been absolutely fantastic.
"And look, everything being equal, maybe I would say one, possibly two more signings maximum, I think that sooner rather than later they will be challenging for the top spot."
Leicester's heavy defeat at Bournemouth and Chelsea's 3-0 loss to Sheffield United have opened the door for a United side who have made no secret of their desire to combine a top-four finish with a trophy.
Bosnich thinks it was crucial United did not lose momentum because of the suspension and believes they can use that confidence to propel them to Champions League qualification.
"I am going to stick by my original tip at the start of the season and say that Chelsea and Manchester United are definitely favourites [for the top four]," Bosnich said.
"Leicester have had a very difficult time since they have returned from the break and Manchester United and Chelsea - and definitely Manchester United - have real momentum, so I am going to go for them two to finish inside the top four and unfortunately for Leicester to be outside of it."
Bosnich: Villa relegation fight will go to final day
The weekend started poorly for both Aston Villa and Bournemouth when they watched both West Ham and Watford register victories.
But firmly in must-win territory, Villa beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to keep alive their hopes of avoiding relegation with three matches to play, while Bournemouth boosted their own survival bid.
Bosnich is adamant that Villa's win confirms what he has long suspected, and that the battle to avoid the drop will go to down to the final day of the season.
"That was amazing wasn't it? Obviously, it was do or die for Aston Villa and they did it, but like you just said, all the teams around them as well did it," ex-Villa 'keeper Bosnich said.
"Three games to go, in my opinion it will go down to the wire. I was looking at the draw for the run-in, for the last three games, [and] there's no one that really stands out.
"You still have to say probably up until Brighton are in it, even though another Brighton win would secure their place.
"But I have just got a feeling it will come down right to that last game when Aston Villa play West Ham and like I said, it really is up in the air.
"All teams that are down there right now, they have just got to forget about it.
"The natural thing to do is to think 'if we had just done this'. You have just got to forget about it now and just do your very, very best to try to finish off with three wins."
United know a win against Southampton will move them into third in the table as they look to take advantage of both Chelsea and Leicester losing at the weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have been among the form teams in the league, continuing their pre-lockdown form by extending their unbeaten run in all competitions to 17 matches with victory at Aston Villa on Thursday.
"I think they have been very good for some time, even before the restart," former United goalkeeper Bosnich said.
"The restart has just confirmed what everybody thought and basically proved a lot in terms of the fact that Pogba alongside Fernandes has turned them into a formidable force.
"Even before that, they were on a tremendous run but seeing them after this - even though obviously they were a little bit rusty in their opening game against Spurs - they have been absolutely fantastic.
"And look, everything being equal, maybe I would say one, possibly two more signings maximum, I think that sooner rather than later they will be challenging for the top spot."
Leicester's heavy defeat at Bournemouth and Chelsea's 3-0 loss to Sheffield United have opened the door for a United side who have made no secret of their desire to combine a top-four finish with a trophy.
Bosnich thinks it was crucial United did not lose momentum because of the suspension and believes they can use that confidence to propel them to Champions League qualification.
"I am going to stick by my original tip at the start of the season and say that Chelsea and Manchester United are definitely favourites [for the top four]," Bosnich said.
"Leicester have had a very difficult time since they have returned from the break and Manchester United and Chelsea - and definitely Manchester United - have real momentum, so I am going to go for them two to finish inside the top four and unfortunately for Leicester to be outside of it."
Bosnich: Villa relegation fight will go to final day
The weekend started poorly for both Aston Villa and Bournemouth when they watched both West Ham and Watford register victories.
But firmly in must-win territory, Villa beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to keep alive their hopes of avoiding relegation with three matches to play, while Bournemouth boosted their own survival bid.
Bosnich is adamant that Villa's win confirms what he has long suspected, and that the battle to avoid the drop will go to down to the final day of the season.
"That was amazing wasn't it? Obviously, it was do or die for Aston Villa and they did it, but like you just said, all the teams around them as well did it," ex-Villa 'keeper Bosnich said.
"Three games to go, in my opinion it will go down to the wire. I was looking at the draw for the run-in, for the last three games, [and] there's no one that really stands out.
"You still have to say probably up until Brighton are in it, even though another Brighton win would secure their place.
"But I have just got a feeling it will come down right to that last game when Aston Villa play West Ham and like I said, it really is up in the air.
"All teams that are down there right now, they have just got to forget about it.
"The natural thing to do is to think 'if we had just done this'. You have just got to forget about it now and just do your very, very best to try to finish off with three wins."
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