MANCHESTER UNITED are showing signs of promise under Erik ten Hag but still have a way to go to live up to their value, according to club legend Gary Neville.
The Red Devils lost their first two Premier League games under the Dutchman, but then went on a four-match winning streak.
They took that impressive league form into the Manchester derby, only to be pummelled 6-3 by local rivals Man City at the Etihad.
United sit fifth in the table after eight matches ahead of their home game against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon.
They are nine points off table toppers Arsenal, but just one point behind fourth place Chelsea.
And Neville admits the next block of fixtures will reveal where United are really at as a side.
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Speaking to The Mail, he said: “I think the team are putting some movements together that look promising.
“When you look at the £1.3billion that has been spent, I still think ‘I’m not looking at a £1.3bn team here’.
“But that’s not Ten Hag, that has happened over the course of five, six, seven seasons.
“We are still not anywhere near City, obviously, but we have beat Liverpool and Arsenal and there is promise there.
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“The next few weeks for United are tough. There are four to five tough games coming up that really will tell us where United are at in this first part of the season.
“The big thing for me is – we’ve talked about the ownership and that needs to change and be dealt with – but the manager has settled in pretty well and there looks to be a togetherness with the players and manager.”
After their clash with Newcastle, United’s five league matches before the World Cup come against Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham, Aston Villa and Fulham.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
