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Former Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre believes his former club must aim to win the Premier League title next season. The Frenchman knows that it is an unrealistic target but believes the club must 'aim as high as possible'.
Manchester United endured a dismal 2021-22 campaign. They headed into the season as title contenders after signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane last summer.
But a disappointing start to the season resulted in them parting ways with coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in late November. Ralf Rangnick was appointed as the club's interim manager until the end of the season, but the German could not turn around United's fortunes.
Manchester United ended the season in sixth place, failing to even qualify for next season's Champions League. They hired Erik ten Hag as their new permanent manager after a debacle of a season.
He is expected to overhaul the club's squad. United could struggle to compete for the league title next season given their current situation, but Silvestre believes they must 'change the mentality' if they are to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
"You need to aim for the top spot. I know it's not realistic but you've got to aim as high as possible. You need to put in your head to challenge City and Liverpool. It might be difficult but that's the only way to go about it and change the mentality," Silvestre told Sky Sports.
Manchester United are expected to win and compete for trophies due to their stature, history and finances. The club are, however, likely to provide Erik ten Hag time to rebuild their squad and implement his style of football at Old Trafford.
Manchester United and Chelsea have had a slow start to the summer as compared to their top-six rivals
In contrast to the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have made very slow starts to the summer transfer window.
Manchester City lacked a top-quality No.9 last season and the Premier League champions have signed Norwegian striker Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund to fill the void.
Liverpool are preparing themselves for the potential departure of Sadio Mane, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, as per Liverpool Echo. They have signed Darwin Nunez from Benfica as a potential replacement for Mane.
Tottenham Hotspur have been the busiest of the top six. The north London club have already signed Fraser Forster, Ivan Perisic, and Yves Bissouma. Arsenal have signed Brazilian forward Marquinhos from Sao Paulo, and are reportedly close to completing a move for Porto midfielder Fabio Vieira, as per The Guardian.
Meanwhile, Manchester United and Chelsea are yet to make any signings this summer. The duo will be keen to make their first acquisition of the summer before the start of their pre-season tours on July 12 and July 17, respectively.
