Man Utd 'no closer to title than they were under David Moyes'

Manchester United are no closer to winning the Premier League now than they were under David Moyes, says Martin Lipton.

Louis van Gaal ended a torrid eight days with a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday Night Football, having been knocked out of the Champions League in midweek following a goalless draw at home to West Ham last Saturday.

The Sun's Lipton, speaking on Sunday Supplement, says United's current squad is lacking in quality, and that Van Gaal's side are not realistic contenders like Arsenal and Manchester City, despite being just three points off leaders Leicester City.

Lipton said: "The players are not good enough. If you look at that squad now, you cannot honestly say you see that Manchester United side finishing top of the league this year.

"You look at City and Arsenal, both of those you can see them winning the league with the sort of set up they have got. With each passing week, United look further and further away from being a title-winning side.

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"Of course this could all change. They can find their form, De Gea won't let in goals like that very often, they get their centre-halves back, Rooney comes back and finds his form, Depay starts looking like a £20m player, and it all looks very different.

"But at this juncture, they are no closer to winning the title than they were in the Moyes season. They may be slightly closer in terms of points but they're not a realistic contender."

With Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola's future as yet undecided, the London Evening Standard's Patrick Barclay insists the uncertainty is unsettling English clubs.

Barclay does not see Van Gaal's fortunes improving at United, which could pave a way for the Spaniard to take over at Old Trafford.

Barclay said: "We talk about top four clubs now as if they're in crisis, and it's all caused by the fact Guardiola may be available at the end of the season.

"When he was at Barca you thought maybe he was riding the horse. But when he goes and takes Barcelona and recreates it in Munich, you think: 'This is almost a guarantee!'

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"Obviously, Manchester United is still a hell of a job. And it does appear that Van Gaal is a lame duck now. I really do [think it has gone that for]. I can't see how it's going to get better now.

"Now that the atmosphere around the place is so bad, I can't see it getting better. The mood takes over."