Gary Neville is refusing to get carried away in the title race
despite United's six point lead over champions Chelsea.
The Reds' skipper said recently that he fully expects more twists
and turns between now and May, and he has reiterated the need to
stay calm over the coming months as United look, at the very least,
to maintain their advantage over Jose Mourinho's men.
"Until the campaign gets to March I think we are still jostling for
positions," the England right back is quoted as saying in the
Manchester Evening News. "We are only just over halfway. It is not
a race yet. People want to try and create a race and I can
understand that.
"But as a player you just look to get to March and April. Then you
have internationals returning and you could be in the mix in the
Champions League and the FA Cup. That is when you are involved in a
dogfight.
"At this moment in time it is still quite calm," he added. "We are
not discussing championships and winning FA Cups or the Champions
League. We just look to keep ourselves in a good position and keep
our form.
"I am not going to say now that this Manchester United team are
going to win the championship because I know full well that, with
16 games to go, in a week we could be 12 points clear or we could
have our lead wiped away. That's the way a championship goes "For
two or three years we haven't achieved what we would like to have
achieved. But we are confident the way we are playing and we have a
determination to do something."
Despite having seen the team underachieve over the last three
seasons, the Reds' captain says he always expected United to get
back on the track.
"I never feared that we wouldn't turn it around again in my time,"
insisted the defender who turns 32 next month. "The manager has
said publicly over the last few years that we were in a period of
transition with younger players and it would take time for them to
mature and for us to develop as a team. That has happened.
"There was no doubt it was going to come back to a better level for
us because we have good players. What you are seeing now are
players playing to their capabilities.
"There are many challenges ahead of us in all competitions," he
added. "It is exciting and something to be enjoyed. We are
certainly not fearing it. We never fear any match at United. That
just would never happen."