Manchester United are out of the title race, according to Nemanja Vidic

Manchester United legend Nemanja Vidic says his former club are out of the title race. The Serbian, who won five Premier League titles during his time at Old Trafford, does not think United can win the league this season – but has been encouraged by their form over recent weeks.

United saw their nine-game winning streak ended by Liverpool on Sunday (15 January), but remain unbeaten in their last 16 matches after battling back to draw with their bitter rivals. Vidic said he has been impressed by Mourinho's men but believes their target should be the top three, not the title.

"Realistically we are out of the title race. That's my opinion," Vidic told ESPN. But, in recent weeks, the way we have played is encouraging. If we keep playing like that then the top three is our target."

The former Inter Milan defender believes United deserved a draw against Liverpool on Sunday but called on the Red Devils to be more clinical in front of goal. Vidic also reserved special praise for talismanic forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored his 19th goal of the season with a stooping header against Jurgen Klopp's men.

"He [Ibrahimovic] is the one who has been driving Manchester United forward in recent weeks," added Vidic. "Other players have to step up with the goals if they want to keep winning matches. He is playing really well this season."

"After 1-0, you take the 1-1. In the first half, we played well. We had three or four good chances and didn't take them. If you want to win the match, you have to take the chances we had. In the second half, we didn't play as good as in the first one - but we scored a goal. Ibrahimovic showed his class again. One chance, one goal. Overall, 1-1 is a fair result."