"Not a giant of a football team anymore" - Shearer makes claim about Manchester United, claims they're 'million miles away' from being best 

Premier League all-time top scorer Alan Shearer has shared a scathing assessment of the current Manchester United squad. The Red Devils are record 13-time Premier League champions but haven't won the league title since 2013.

That drought is unlikely to end this season, as they are languishing in a lowly 13th place after 24 games, winning eight, trailing runaway leaders Liverpool (57) by a whopping 28 points, having played a game more.

The recent form of Ruben Amorim's side is anything but rosy, coming off a 2-0 home reverse to Crystal Palace at the start of the month, their 11th league loss of the season.

"If you listen to the manager, he's said they're the worst team in the club's history, there this, that and the other," Shearer told Betfair (as per GOAL). "I know that he may be being brutally honest, but he may be better off not saying those things because I'm not sure that breeds any sort of confidence in the club at all.

"You don't have to be a genius to see that things are really poor on the pitch at the minute and it's been a long, hard season for Man United.

Shearer foresees a long road ahead for United to return to the league's elite:

"It's been and will continue to be tough for Man United. In terms of PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) too, how they can go out and spend a shed load in the summer which is what needs to happen to bring quality players in. I don't know how they're going to get around PSR.

"The reality is, although it's Manchester United in name, the Man United that we grew up with and I played against right throughout my career and were giants, is gone. They're not a giant of a football team anymore. They haven't been for a while and will continue to be that for a while longer yet.

The Red Devils are coming off a last-gasp 2-1 home win over Leicester City in the FA Cup fourth round last weekend.

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What's next for Manchester United?

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim

Manchester United are next in action in the Premier League on Sunday (February 16) when they visit Tottenham Hotspur. This fixture last season saw the Red Devils fall to a 2-0 defeat before drawing the reverse fixture 2-2 at home.

Earlier this season, United received a 3-0 hiding at home to Ange Postecoglou's side. In the September 2024 clash, Brennan Johnson, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominik Solanke were the scorers for Spurs.

Chances for the Red Devils were few and far between, with goalkeeper Andre Onana producing a string of saves to make the final scoreline at Old Trafford less embarassing.