LISBON - Former Manchester United great Eric Cantona has backed Jose Mourinho's squad to get back to challenging for top honours, three years since they last won the Premier League.
Eric Cantona (L) won four league titles with Manchester United under former manager Alex Ferguson (R)
"It's just the beginning. Manchester can still be champions. Jose Mourinho is a successful manager at a successful club which this year has succesful players," the former French international said in an interview published Wednesday in Portuguese daily newspaper Publico.
"But this is an extremely difficult championship, full of great teams and great managers like (Manchester City coach) Pep Guardiola," he added.
Since Alex Ferguson retired after winning the league in 2013, Manchester United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth, their only major trophy during that time being last season's FA Cup.
The club kicked off their league campaign this season with three straight wins under Mourinho, but slumped to back-to-back defeats against Manchester City and Watford.
They are in sixth place in the English Premier League table with 12 points after seven matches.
After the international break, Manchester United travel to Liverpool on October 17.
Cantona, 50, won four league titles with united prior to retiring in 1997 at the end of a colourful career in which he became a cult figure at Old Trafford. He now lives in Lisbon.