David Moyes insists Manchester United remain a force to be reckoned with and that an "incredible" number of Europe's leading players want to sign for the club.
With six league defeats United are seventh in the table and six points adrift of the lowest Champions League place after Liverpool's draw with Aston Villa. Moyes goes to Stamford Bridge on Sunday knowing that only a win will suffice. Yet, despite not having won at Chelsea in 12 years as a Premier League manager and being handicapped by injuries to both Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, he insists his side can still be title contenders. "There are still plenty of games to go," Moyes says. "We have got a long way to go to catch up but we have got to believe there's a chance.
"We have to try and do something about our league position. We have won five out of six games, but some of the teams above us have done even better than that. There are a lot of teams having very good seasons the seven or eight at the top are all on pretty good runs, and we are going to need some of them to drop some points. At the moment Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea are the teams to beat."
With City looking solid in the league and scoring goals for fun under Manuel Pellegrini, it is being unkindly suggested Moyes is in a familiar situation at United, in charge of the second-best team in a major footballing city. The former Everton manager is not having that. "United are not just the biggest club in the country, they are the biggest club in the world," he says. "Some of the results have not been what we would want but I wouldn't say any of the aura is fading. In fact, I actually think the opposite.
"The number of big players who want to join Manchester United is incredible. Maybe players want to go for the money to other clubs but, if you ask them where they would really like to play,whose badge they would choose to wear, they want to wear the badge of Manchester United, because of what the club stands for."
Mirroring the slide down the league table, Manchester United's share price has dipped in recent weeks, but Moyes is confident both reversals will prove short term because of the power of the club's brand. "Players are not looking at the share price, they are looking at what the club stands for in global terms," the United manager says.
"It's renowned throughout the world, everywhere you go. This club is much bigger than even I realised. I've been to a few games in the last week or so and wherever you go in the world everybody knows the Manchester United manager. It is difficult to hide away at a game, put it like that. That tells you right away what this club stands for."
Moyes is aware that after so many seasons of success, many in the game are enjoying the sight of United struggling. "None more so than the media," he points out. "I can see that. If you didn't have Manchester United I don't think there would be anything to read in the papers, because almost everything you see is talking about Manchester United. Everybody needs a good, powerful Manchester United. Well, it might be a wait, but don't write us off yet."
