The owner of one of the most famous Scottish accents in England can't see beyond the Red Devils for this campaign's crown...Andy Gray, a man who collected a fair few winners' medals of his own during a lenghty playing career with Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton, thinks that Manchester United are now certainties to win the Premier League.
Sky Sports' expert summariser, whose voice is heard by countless millions during televsion coverage of the English top division, has said today that the title race is as good as over, whatever Liverpool manage to achieve in tomorrow's match-up with the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
"I think the league’s done, I think United will definitely win the league," Gray told ManUtd.com.
"They know how to get the job done, and that's the most impressive thing. They have already won the Carling Cup and the Club World Cup, but you can always fall down in knockout competitions.
"You just need one off-day where you’re below par, a referee’s decision going against you and you’re out of the tournament. That’s the biggest threat I think. Four of the biggest teams in the country will be in the FA Cup if Arsenal get through their quarter-final, and the Champions League is extremely tough. Now they’re at the sharp end."
And Gray was full of praise for key individuals in the United team, hailing their defenders and central midfielders in particular as reasons for their dominance this season.
"When you’ve got two centre-backs like [Rio] Ferdinand and [Nemanja] Vidic you’ve got a pretty good basis for anything," he added.
"As a pair, they’re as good as anything United have had. [Steve] Bruce and [Gary] Pallister come to mind, but for the modern game Ferdinand and Vidic are just about exactly what you would want.
"I thought United might struggle in the middle of midfield this year. Everyone’s been waiting for Michael Carrick to step up and just say: ‘You know what, I’m going to play game in, game out and start influencing every game.’
"With Scholesy at 34 and Giggsy at 35, Anderson still young, I thought the big teams like Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal might find them wanting, but they haven’t.
"Carrick has played a lot of games this year, and you can count on it being him and one other in the centre for the big games. Darren Fletcher is a real steady Eddie, you’d want him in your squad every time – he’s a much better player than people give him credit for.
"But I think this is the year when Michael has stepped forward as a United player. Keane’s gone, Scholesy’s 34, Giggsy’s 35, these fantastic players might not be able to do a whole season. I was waiting for somebody to step up, and I think it’s been him."
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