Alan Smith expects to ‘close the gap’ on next season but doubts they will be strong enough to challenge for the title.
The Red Devils finished third in ’s first season at Old Trafford, nine points behind Arsenal and 14 adrift of treble-winners Man City.
United briefly threatened to mount a title challenge as they beat Manchester City at home in January, but an inconsistent run of form saw them slip out of the race.
There were reasons to be optimistic, however, as ex-Ajax boss Ten Hag .
Former Arsenal striker Smith believes United will continue to improve under Ten Hag but doubts they will be in a position to challenge for the title, especially if they fail to sign a new striker this summer.
‘I think that Manchester United can close the gap on their city rivals, but not to the extent where they’re challenging them for the Premier League title,’ Smith told .
‘They need a striker, no question about that. If they could get an A-grade striker, that would make a big difference.
‘Mason Mount is a good signing. I don’t think United are going to go far wrong with him. I’ve really got a lot of time for Mason Mount.
‘How he slots into the team with Bruno Fernandes will be interesting to see. Perhaps in certain games, both of them will play centrally as attacking No. 8s.
‘Like Kai Havertz, Mount is a really versatile player. I think that’s a really good signing, but I’m sure Manchester United will be thinking they’ve got quite a bit more business to do before the window shuts.’
Smith added: ‘They should be looking to get into the top-four again and play a bigger part in the title race because last season they were never really in the conversation.
‘There was a time, halfway through the season where you wondered, but United fell away. Ten Hag will want to be involved in the title race so he can give the United supporters hope that they can become a force to be reckoned with over the coming seasons.
‘He did well winning the League Cup last season and he’ll want to win another trophy this season.’
Having relied on Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst for much of last season, Manchester United are expected to sign a new striker this summer.
But the Red Devils have seemingly withdrawn their interest in Tottenham captain Harry Kane and are .
Discussing United’s striker search, Smith said: ‘Obviously Harry Kane would be as good as it gets, really. In an ideal world you’d probably want somebody slightly younger, who’s ready to go.
‘Chelsea have signed [Christopher] Nkunku and I think he can hit the ground running and score goals straight away.
‘He didn’t come cheap, but I think that’s the type of player that United should be looking at. Someone that has done will in Germany or Spain and can offer goals straight away.
‘This is why as a top club you have to get recruitment right. I’m sure Manchester United will have targets in mind.’
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