Rio Ferdinand excited about Manchester United's title chances

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has said that he doesn't want to 'become a meme' by making rash predictions about the Premier League title race, but admits he is getting excited about his old side's chances.

Manchester United secured an unconvincing 1-0 win over Watford in the FA Cup on Saturday night at Old Trafford.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a number of changes to his United starting line-up after exiting the Carabao Cup against Manchester City last week.

The Red Devils have, however, been in sparkling form in the Premier League. United have won four of their last five games, which sees them joint top of the Premier League with Liverpool.

United travel to Burnley on Tuesday knowing that a win will send them three points clear of Liverpool. This would set up a mouth watering clash next weekend as Liverpool host United at Anfield.

Rio Ferdinand tried to restrain himself in the BT Sport studio, having previously got carried away with his 'Ole's at the wheel' speech in 2019.

However, Ferdinand did admit that he would be 'excited 100%' to see United go to Anfield as Premier League leaders next Sunday. He said:

"I don't want to jump the gun like I've done before. I don't want to become a meme again. But listen, as a football fan, you can't help it, it's part of it to get hyped up, become emotional about things.

"And Man United sitting pretty at the top of the league after the game against Burnley, we hope, I'll be excited 100%. But then it's a massive game after that against Liverpool to really put a marker down and say we're not just here fly-bys, we're here to stay."

Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville react in unison as Manchester United draw level with Liverpool FC #mufc https://t.co/Xjh1vOFneW

— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) January 2, 2021

Manchester United must maintain consistency after being exposed by Manchester City in the Carabao Cup

Manchester United v Watford - FA Cup Third Round

One thing that Manchester United have been guilty of since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over is inconsistency.

The Red Devils are capable of blowing away teams with their pace, fluidity and counter attacking ability, but also have the ability to completely switch off and fail to turn up when it matters most.

Manchester United have been on good runs in the past under Solskjaer, like last season, when they finished third in the Premier League. However, United ended up losing three semi-finals in Cup competitions.

Rio Ferdinand calls on #MUFC to put down a marker next week, against Burnley and Liverpool. 👊🏼 https://t.co/xgR97iK9Jh

— Stretty News TV (@StrettyNewsTV) January 10, 2021

United also looked imperious in the Champions League this season after securing impressive victories over PSG and RB Leipzig. However, they failed to qualify to the knockout stages after losing three of their last four group games.

Ferdinand warned the club and its fans against getting carried away, and believes United must continue their current form to be considered legitimate title contenders.