Following Manchester United’s shock exit from the League cup, at the hands of Coventry City, on Wednesday night, there has been much discussion about the lack of depth in the United squad. Sir Alex Ferguson’s quote,  that he had picked a team that he was confident would beat Coventry, was genuine.  But on the night it was Coventry that had the desire and belief to win the game.

We must accept that in some quarters the League Cup is sniggered at, but from Ferguson’s quote we must also accept that United were confident of going through to the next round.

So how has the squad changed from the Premier League winning team of last season. If anything, the squad should be stronger from the purchases of Hargreaves, Tevez, Nani and Andersson. With the  the sale of Richardson, Smith, Heinze and Rossi. Overall, in my opinion that is a stronger squad.

In comparison to the other “top four” teams, most agree that United do indeed have the weaker squad. It has been noticeable this season already,  in the games when Rooney and Ronaldo have been absent.

The second generation of kids to come through the Old Trafford accademy of football, had a hell of a lot to live up to, when following in the footsteps of Beckham, Giggs, Neville and co. The fact is that the likes of Fletcher,O’shea, Brown and Richardson  have never been anything more than fringe players at United, however good they have been.

Added to that is the fact that Scholes, Giggs and Neville are getting on a bit now, and will need replacing, in the near future.

So, is it a squad that can be Premier Champions again? Well as i said, they did it last year, and personally I think they are very capable this year. But, as things stand, it is Liverpool that look strongest of the four to me. I do however expect a very busy transfer market in January next year.