Premier League Title Race: Are Manchester United Contenders?

Manchester United have made significant ground up on the Premier League leaders with five successive wins, but even club legend Gary Neville remains unconvinced by their progress.

Monday night's 2-1 victory at Southampton saw Louis van Gaal's men leapfrog their hosts and move up to third in the Premier League, leaving them eight points behind leaders Chelsea and five aback from Manchester City. 

However, Sky Sports pundit Neville lambasted his former team, suggesting that their passing was farcical at times, telling Monday Night Football: "Louis van Gaal will watch the video back and think they were so bad in their passing at times. It almost got to the point where you started laughing it was so bad. I was that frustrated, I was laughing."

The former right-back, who won every domestic honour and the UEFA Champions League twice with United, went a step further in suggesting next Sunday's clash with rivals Liverpool could resemble a fixture between two pub sides.

He added: "They've got away with murder tonight really with that performance. Southampton weren't very good at times and looked like a team short of confidence.

"They play Liverpool on Sunday and it could be like The Dog and Duck versus The Red Lion."

Van Gaal hit back by suggesting Neville needs to "pay more attention to his own words," as reported by the BBC.

The Dutchman did, however, admit his side were "lucky" to leave St Mary's with all three points, also telling the BBC that "Southampton were the better team."

Sky Sports 1HD

Sky Sports' match stats reveal that the Saints had 53 per cent possession and 15 shots compared to their visitors' three, which Opta then confirmed to be the club's lowest-ever shot tally in the Premier League.

Indeed, looking at United's winning streak in more detail raises further questions as to how impressed we really should be by their upturn in results.

All but one of the victories have come by a solitary goal margin and all five were against sides which had lost their previous Premier League fixtures.

Oddschecker.com

Monday night's win was also only their second on the road this season and has failed to convince bookmakers, with Oddschecker telling us that they can still be backed at as long as 14/1 for the title.

Under the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson, such a run of results would have injected fear into those leading the way.

However, almost 18 months on from the end of Fergie time, it remains difficult to consider United as serious contenders for the Premier League title.