"Whether their football is exciting enough as things stand is another debate" – Joleon Lescott predicts winner of Aston Villa vs Manchester United

Former Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott has predicted a 2-0 win for Manchester United against Aston Villa in their Premier League clash at Villa Park on Sunday (6 November).

The Red Devils are currently in a rich vein of form under new boss Erik ten Hag. The Old Trafford outfit are unbeaten in their last nine matches across all competitions. They are fifth in the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 23 points from 12 games, just one point off fourth place.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, are currently languishing in 16th place in the table with just two wins in their last ten Premier League games. Earlier last month, the Villans appointed Unai Emery as their new boss after a horrific run of games under the helm of Steven Gerrard.

In his column for Live Score, Lescott heaped praise on Ten Hag for his contribution to Manchester United's recent turn of form. He wrote:

"This is the most consistent Manchester United have looked in years and that was something they desperately needed to address — so huge credit to Erik ten Hag."

The two-time Premier League winner added:

"Whether their football is exciting enough as things stand is another debate but I think Red Devils fans must be delighted with how things are going."

Lescott stated that the Red Devils could be too strong for Aston Villa, who are set to come into the fixture on the back of a 4-0 defeat against Newcastle United last weekend. He concluded:

"I expect them to have too much for a Villa side who haven't had a lot of time to buy into the methods of new boss Unai Emery."

Manchester United have a healthy head-to-head record against the struggling Midlands side, losing just once in their last 21 meetings.

Manchester United set to pursue deal for £100 million-rated top transfer target

As per the Mirror, Manchester United have identified Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham as their top target in the transfer market.

Bellingham, 19, has established himself as a vital member of BVB's squad over the past two seasons. Since arriving from Birmingham City for a fee of £25 million in 2020, the midfielder has netted 19 goals and laid out 20 assists in 109 matches across all competitions.

The 20-time Premier League champions are expected to dip into the market to upgrade on midfielders like Fred and Scott McTominay, who have failed to impress at Old Trafford.