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Arsenal legend Paul Merson has said his view has not shifted that Manchester United will fail to finish in the Premier League top five this season.

The Red Devils endured a dreadful first half of last season under Ruben Amorim before improving significantly under Michael Carrick during the second half of the campaign.

Man Utd eventually finished third in the Premier League and secured qualification for the Champions League, with Carrick then handed the head coach’s job on a permanent basis.

Following Casemiro’s departure, the Red Devils focused much of their transfer business on midfield reinforcements, bringing in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba over the summer.

There was some frustration that they did not spend more heavily on a left-back and an additional attacker, but Carrick has maintained that he is satisfied with the squad at his disposal.

Man Utd have recorded one win, one defeat and one draw from their opening three Premier League fixtures this season, while they also beat Sabah 4-0 in the Champions League on Thursday night.

Even so, Merson believes it will be a difficult campaign for Man Utd and is sticking to the pre-season prediction he made that they would end up outside the top five.

Merson told Sky Sports: “Man Utd have got the Manchester derby – and their season is in the balance too. If you beat Man City, you’re flying. If you get beat by Man City, here we go again.

“It would be one point from two games including the Everton game. And other teams are winning around you.

“I’ve said all along: I don’t think Man Utd have bought very well. The squad isn’t big enough. It’s nowhere near enough.

“Defensively they’re nowhere near good enough. They let in two goals against Everton – and they were two good goals, but one of them was from the edge of the box. Everybody’s behind the ball.

“When you’re winning, put another forward on. Don’t take a forward off and put a defender on. Don’t give that team the opportunity.

“Instead, if you put a forward on for a midfielder or a forward, it changes the game completely. If you’re the other manager, you think: ‘Oh no, what am I going to do?’.

“Instead, Man Utd just invited pressure on. Just don’t do that, especially if you’re a big team.

“If you’re Coventry and you go in front at Everton, you of course put a defender on 100 per cent. But when you’re Man Utd, I don’t see the need to do that.

“If you’re dictating the game, Everton don’t get that chance for Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

“So I am worried – and this is why I didn’t put Manchester United in my top five at the start of the season. Nothing’s changed for me since then. When you draw games, it hurts you.”