Ryan Giggs backs Manchester City for next season's Premier League title: 'They're the team to beat'

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Ryan Giggs has backed Manchester City to lift the Premier League title next season, admitting that Pep Guardiola’s men “are the team to beat”.

After Guardiola’s debut season at the Etihad ended in disappointment, the Spaniard has set about rebuilding his City squad as he eyes Premier League and European glory with the Citizens.

City have spent more than £220,000,000 on new signings this summer, bringing in the likes of Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy, and Giggs believes that the side are well poised to lift a first league title since 2014.

“I think Manchester City are the team to beat though,” he told Sky Sports. “I looked at them towards the end of last season and the forward players they've got is scary, with Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Raheem Sterling.

“What they needed to get right was their defence and it will be interesting to see how Ederson settles in, because you don't win the Premier League with an average goalkeeper.”

City’s backline has seen a significant overhaul ahead of the new season, with the club saying goodbye to the likes of Aleksandar Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta.

Ederson has also been brought in as an expected replacement for Claudio Bravo, who struggled in his first season at City, as Guardiola looks to remedy his goalkeeper issues.

Giggs did warn, however, that the fitness of Vincent Kompany could be key to whether City’s new-look defence is a success.

“They've obviously invested heavily on full-backs but the question is still whether Vincent Kompany can stay fit because his influence and experience are key for them,” he added.

The former Manchester United player also downplayed Chelsea’s chances of claiming a second successive league title and questioned Tottenham’s lack of activity in the transfer window.

“You can't ignore Chelsea because of their quality, but have they got the squad to balance defending the Premier League and European football? I'm not sure,” he said.

“Tottenham have a really exciting squad and a great manager in Mauricio Pochettino, but everybody is asking whether they can continue to match sides without signings.

“I think they need a couple, not to improve their starting line-up but to make the squad better, while they've also got the Wembley factor, so they really need to get off to a good start.”