Alan Shearer Exclusive: United need four more top players and Chelsea have to be taken seriously | OneFootball

Bryan Mbuemo is a top player, but Man United are still four top players away from challenging for the top six

Last year was a disaster for Man United. It will be better than that this season I've no doubt, but how much better will depend on how much business they do between now and the end of the transfer window.

There's no doubt they need a top-class centre-forward which would go well with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbuemo so they've still got business to do and it depends on what quality they bring in. Even with just Cunha and Mbuemo, there's no doubt they'll improve on last season. As I said, they're still three, maybe four top players away from challenging for the top six.

Once they had shown their intentions that they wanted to sign Mbuemo, Brentford were always going to hold out for what they wanted, and I guess they've not got what they wanted. There's no doubt he's a very, very good player. We've seen that for a while at Brentford now. Him and Yoane Wissa have been the main threats and he's proven in the Premier League which adds value to it.

Mbuemo will likely be going to AFCON, but you know that when you sign these players. You just have to get on with it and accept it. He'll be a big player for Man United so to be without him for that amount of time will hurt him and Man United but other clubs will have the same problem. Salah will be missing for Liverpool too, but the business they've done is fantastic. You have to be prepared for players going to AFCON and you have to have the squad for it.

Chelsea have to be taken seriously for Premier League title

What impact winning the Club World Cup will have for Chelsea we'll have to see, it's unprecedented. At some stage, for the players that've played regularly and play international football, it will have an effect. How Enzo Maresca manages the situation in terms of how and when he rests players is new as well.

When you look at what Chelsea achieved in the summer and last season finishing in the Champions League spots, winning the Conference League and the Club World Cup, they have to be talked seriously about winning the Premier League now.

When you look at what the top four have done in the window already; Liverpool, Arsenal look as if they're signing Viktor Gyokeres, what Man City have done and what Chelsea are doing, that in itself is a huge statement that the top four have already improved massively. Anyone wanting to get in and around the top four has to look at how strong they were last season and what they've done already.

Marcus Rashford can kickstart his career at Barcelona

It could be a huge move for Marcus Rashford. That all depends on him. I guess, and he probably thinks that it's time for a reset and if he can forget what's gone on in the past, the good and the bad, then he's got a great opportunity to kickstart his career again.

It doesn't get much bigger than Barcelona, so Hansi Flick and the club clearly believe in him, they're paying his full salary and there's a clause at the end of the loan if they want to sign him on a permanent basis, so what an opportunity for Marcus to have a career reset.

That's what he must do and that has to be the mentality.

Only he can answer whether he gets back in the England squad. I don't know him personally, what his state of mind is in terms of where he feels he is, but I guess the whole Barcelona project believe they can get the best out of him otherwise they wouldn't be paying the £300,000-odd per week for him.

I guess they've done their homework, sat down with him and they feel it's a chance worth taking. It could be an expensive one or it could be a great signing. I don't know is the answer. We've seen flashes of his best at Aston Villa. They chose not to sign him permanently for whatever reason.

Barcelona believe they can get the very best out of him and if they can, it could turn out to be a shrewd signing. But you also have to look at it and think it's a little bit of a gamble because we've not seen anywhere near the heights that he hit all those years ago for a long time now. Only Marcus knows where he is mentally and physically.

Evan Ferguson a player to keep an eye on at Roma this season

I was hugely impressed by Evan Ferguson a few seasons ago and think I did an article on that and how I thought his potential was massive. I'm a tad surprised he's left the Premier League but also it may be a reset for him. He may go over to Italy for a couple of years and then look to come back to England.

I'm surprised he's chosen to leave the Premier League, but I guess we're not sure how many offers he had. I'd have liked to have seen him stay and show the potential he did in the early days at Brighton. When he scored that hattrick against Newcastle, I just thought 'wow, what a player he looks.' He's certainly one to keep an eye on over the next season or two.

We're set up for a cracking season

It's going to be fascinating. For 12 months now, we've all been saying what Arsenal need and what they missed last season. It looks as if they're going to get Gyokeres who comes in with such a pedigree of goals in the Portuguese league. He's already played in England which may help him but it'll be fascinating to see how that works.

Same thing with Chelsea. Joao Pedro has been with them for three weeks and what he did has already been incredible. Liam Delap they also signed in that position too. It sounds as if Nicolas Jackson is maybe surplus to requirements but I don't know.

We've said about Man City and Liverpool as well who've gone out and spent an absolute fortune on what looks like four very, very good players.

It's set up to be an absolutely cracking season. It's already fascinating to see what clubs are doing or are trying to do.

Granit Xhaka is a really good signing for Sunderland

They've really gone for it and that can work for you and against you. Promoted clubs know they're up against it straight away, history tells you how difficult it is for these clubs to survive.

They signed a few players already and it looks as if the Granit Xhaka deal is going to be done as well. He'll add great experience, he knows what the Premier League is about and has been there and done it. They need all of that.

He'll certainly help them try to keep them up. He's only 32, it's not as if he's coming in as a 36-year-old. You've still got two or three really good years ahead of you. I can only speak from a personal point-of-view and he hasn't had the injuries that I had. He's still got plenty of time in the tank and I think he'll be a really good addition for them because of his experience, absolutely.

It's going to be tough for them but they're giving it a right good go. I know I sit here as a Newcastle fan and former player but I genuinely mean it when I say I wanted Sunderland to get back to the Premier League. For the fans and the players, the derbies are great occasions. It would've been the date that players looked at when the fixtures came out.

AFCON won't help Sunderland

It looks as though they might have a few players that will go to AFCON, that certainly won't help them, but you have to know that when you sign these players that there's a good chance they'll be missing for tournaments like AFCON. You have to understand and get through it. That December and January period will be a tough time for Sunderland.