Fulham manager Marco Silva believes a lack of consistency is what has been missing from Manchester United's gradual improvement under Erik ten Hag so far this season.
The Fulham chief made the admission ahead of welcoming United to Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon, in what will be the final Premier League fixture before the World Cup pause. The Reds, should they win and other results over the weekend go their way, could find themselves level on points with fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur at the close of play.
If that happens, United and manager Ten Hag would be able to reflect positively on the first chapter of his tenure, which has featured a collection of highs and lows. But despite their struggles for consistency, Silva, who has won two of his previous six meetings with the Reds as manager, believes United are a team littered with quality.
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"You are talking about a team with a high, high quality, high individual quality." said Silva. "They haven't been so consistent, like they would like to be, of course.
"In some moments when they are in their best level, they are a really, really, really good team with a lot of quality all over the pitch, on the bench as well. They had some setbacks during the season so far, but we analysed them and we know what they are capable of and the quality they have.
"If they are at their best level, of course they are a really, really tough team to play against. And of course we analyse them thinking that they will be at their best level.
"It's clear what they try to do, I think it's easy to understand what they're trying to do in every moment of the game. It's up to us to keep preparing well, like we've been doing this week."
United have won seven of their opening 13 Premier League matches this season, losing four, meaning they remain a side in transition under Ten Hag.
Silva continued: "He is trying to create his own philosophy inside that big club. They moved in the market, they signed good players, they spent a good amount, which is normal in that football club to try to be stronger.
"They had a very good pre-season and, as I said before, some ups and downs during the season, but what I can tell you is that when they are at their best level they are a really good team."
Meanwhile, Silva has confirmed that the Cottagers will be without star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic through injury. The nine-goal striker is struggling with an ankle problem and is a doubt for Serbia's World Cup opener against Brazil later this month.
"We have to wait and decide between our medical staff and the medical staff of Serbia," added Silva. "The injury is to his bone but it is not broken.
"It is not important what I prefer. My preference in this situation will not make any difference because I will not make the decision in this situation."
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