Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson says Manchester United’s lack of consistency under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be their undoing in their attempts to challenge at the top end of the table.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been very impressed with the Red Devils’ performances in recent months and, while he believes they are on the right track, he feels there is still one key question about the team that remains unanswered:

“I’m not saying United will necessarily be title contenders next season but they are certainly heading in the right direction and they’ll be a lot closer to the top of the table than they have been in recent seasons.”

“If there is a question mark about them under Solskjaer, it is that they have a streaky side to them. Just as United have been capable of stringing together a few wins under Solskjaer, there’s also been a tendency to have bad runs too. You don’t find the likes of Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp enduring slumps.”

“The real top managers rarely go more than two or three games without a win. So yes, the jury is still out on Solskjaer but if I was United fan, I’d be more excited than most about what the future holds.”

Consistency generally comes when you have the right quality of players in your squad. United certainly made some important strides with their three summer signings but there’s still work to be done in the transfer market.

At least three more additions will be needed when the transfer window reopens but, with the financial climate as it is, there are doubts over whether United will be able to invest the amount they need to improve the team further ahead of next campaign.