Manchester United are on the way back to being competitive at the top of the table, says Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
United have not won the Premier League since 2013 and their last trophy came in 2017.
But they are unbeaten in seven games since the 6-3 defeat by City and Guardiola says he is seeing positive changes under manager Erik ten Hague.
“I feel United are coming back,” Guardiola said.
“United are finally coming back – I saw it on Thursday [3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol], and in the first half against Chelsea [last weekend’s 1-1 draw].
“I said I like what I’m seeing of United at the moment. There will be a lot of teams like United fighting. That’s why you have to qualify for the Champions League and fight for the title.”
Guardiola also says he sees Newcastle in the mix to challenge for the title and top four this season.
“Newcastle are already there,” added Guardiola, whose City side are looking for a third consecutive Premier League title.
“I saw them against Tottenham. The central defenders went back-to-back against Kane and Son without any problems.
“We played them in the third game of the season. Imagine this team playing a game a week? We know how good Eddie the manager is.
“They have freshmen. They play brave. They are contenders to be there.”
‘Too Tired for Insta’
Guardiola believes his side don’t get enough credit for what are considered easy victories.
Last weekend against Brighton was one such example. City won 3–1, with Erling Holland scoring twice in what was a routine win against inferior opposition.
“I saw the players in the locker room after Brighton, they were tired,” Guardiola said.
“They couldn’t even pick up the phone. Imagine how tired they were – they didn’t even have the energy to open Instagram.”
