Fred claims Man United could fall out of the title race if they don’t beat Spurs

United are desperate to get back to winning ways

Manchester United welcome Spurs to Old Trafford on Monday night hoping to bounce back from a disappointing defeat to Brighton last Sunday. After spending huge amounts of money on improving their squad over the past few years, United are expected to at least compete for the PremierLeague title, as unrealistic as that may sound. New signing Fred, who joined United for £52m in the summer from Shakhtar Donetsk, has warned his teammate's of Monday night's importance if they are to keep up with Manchester City, having already lost ground on their local rivals.

"It's a very important game. This week we've been working, focusing on this game, we want to go out and get the win in front of our home fans," he told Sky Sports.

"We know Tottenham are a great team, but we need to get the win if we are to aspire to win the league.

"Going into the next game, we want to be focused and we want to win, so we can stay in the race for the title."

If that seems a bit of a reach from the Brazilian at such an early stage of the season, it is worth remembering just how quickly City started in the league last season. Pep Guardiola's men won 19 of their first 20 games and drew the other one against Everton, taking 58 out of a possible 60 points. Points dropped near the start of the league campaign could see United let with a a huge deficit to make up later in the season - something that proved insurmountable in 2017/18. United finished 19 points behind City last season, with 81 points compared to City's record total of 100. If they are to pose as much as a superficial threat to City's dominance this season, they will have to show significant improvements at both ends of the pitch.