Roy Keane explains why Man Utd can compete for CL glory

Roy Keane believes Manchester United have shown themselves capable of challenging for this season’s Champions League crown – despite Wednesday’s 1-0 setback in Basel.

United were beaten 1-0 by the Swiss outfit on Wednesday, meaning they have not yet guaranteed passage to the knockout stages.

They lead Group A by three points and face CSKA Moscow in the final game, knowing that a draw sends them through.

They dominated in the first half in Switzerland but were unable to make the breakthrough before a late goal earned their hosts all three points.

Mourinho pinpointed the departure of Paul Pogba as a reason behind their defeat, but Keane saw the game and decided that his former club can challenge Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona for the crown.

“The big plus for United is that their form has been that good in the Champions League that they gave themselves room to slip up tonight,” he told ITV Sport.

“When United have their strongest team out, they will compete with a lot of the teams in Europe. There are five or six players that played tonight that won’t be in their strongest team.

“Mourinho is looking at the bigger picture – forget about tonight and move on. They’ll be competing to win this title without a doubt.”

Keane’s verdict drew a somewhat surprised response from fellow pundit Glenn Hoddle, who acted as the voice of reason.

“There are five English teams that could actually top their groups, but is it actually an advantage?” he said.

“You’ve got Atletico and Real Madrid, Juventus and Bayern Munich all potentially coming second in their group. I don’t know whether United can live with any of them teams.

“They’re fortunate they’re in a group they’ll get through and even then it’s gone to the last game. I’m not sure they’re ready to step up to that level.”

If only he hadn’t said “You’ve got Atletico”. So close.