Man United have to challenge for the title says Jaap Stam

Arsenal 2-0 Bournemouth - Premier League: Gunners given let-off as VAR denies the Cherries a way back into the game with controversial decision after Leandro Trossard doubled the lead
Championship final day: Ipswich are Premier League-bound as Kieran McKenna's side double their lead against Huddersfield... and there's huge drama at the bottom of the table
Joey Barton bafflingly claims 'genetically modified' Lionel Messi should have ASTERISK next to his titanic achievements due to the treatment the World Cup winner received as child for rare growth hormone deficiency
Ange Postecoglou is the lunatic the Premier League has been waiting for, writes RIATH AL-SAMARRAI... plus why Jude Bellingham has a lot to learn
Manchester United star is BANNED from driving after chalking up 30 points on his licence... as £65,000-a-week star is also fined following court absence
Thomas Tuchel 'is on Man United's shortlist' if Sir Jim Ratcliffe decides to sack Erik ten Hag... with the German set to leave Bayern Munich despite thousands signing a petition calling for him to stay
VAR-sical! Fans FUME after Ryan Christie's high tackle on Bukayo Saka wasn't punished with a red card in Arsenal's crucial match against Bournemouth
Thiago Silva 'agrees to sign for new club' after 'receiving offers from THREE London teams' following his decision to leave Chelsea at the end of the season
Forget Arsenal's set-piece genius - what Ben White is doing at corners is cheating and I don't know why refs can't see it, writes GRAEME SOUNESS
Arsenal players and supporters pay tribute to Daniel Anjorin with minute's applause after the 14-year-old boyhood Gunners fan was murdered in a sword attack in east London
Tottenham's biggest players have gone missing, set-pieces are a disaster and Ange Postecoglou has NO plan B... FIVE reasons why Spurs' season has fallen apart ahead of tough trip to Liverpool
Premier League: Live scores, team news and updates from Saturday's afternoon kick-offs with Burnley, Newcastle, Brentford and Nottingham Forest all in action
Bayern Munich dealt ANOTHER blow in pursuit of new manager as Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi becomes the latest to snub a potential move
Arsenal invite the 2003-04 Invincibles squad to watch their last game of the season to mark 20-year anniversary... with Mikel Arteta hoping in his 'heart and soul' that title rivals Man City drop points
French match is ABANDONED after furious Troyes fans throw flares on the pitch in angry protest against their owners City Football Group... as supporters chant 'Merci City' as their side faces relegation
Aberdeen interim boss Peter Leven rushed to hospital for emergency operation and will miss Premiership match against St Johnstone
Isak, Toney and Haaland featured in 6/1 shot on target accumulator courtesy of Sky Bet - as blockbuster Premier League fixtures headline today's football action
Inside John Terry's growing property empire as star sells plans for pair of Surrey mansions on exclusive estate for a cool £5 million
David Moyes claims West Ham were 'close' to signing Cole Palmer from Man City... hinting the move failed after deal for Lucas Paqueta in the other direction collapsed
'I don't know when to stop, I can't just have two beers': Billy Vunipola reveals what REALLY happened when he was Tasered twice by an army of Spanish police
Man United legend Wayne Rooney reveals the name he went by during his time in the US
Bukayo Saka and Dominic Solanke to both score NOW 8/1 - as Arsenal look to stay top of the Premier League table with a win over Bournemouth at the Emirates
Kyle Walker and wife, Annie Kilner, are 'considering moving to Saudi Arabia' as the Man City star 'speaks with former colleague Riyad Mahrez' about life in the Middle East
Fran Kirby will LEAVE Chelsea at the end of the season when her contract expires after nearly 10 years with the club, ending speculation over her future

Jaap Stam insists Manchester United must challenge for the title this season
The Red Devils have spent heavily with the signings of Romelu Lukaku and co.
Stam now demands that Jose Mourinho take the club forward with what he has

Published: 11:20 EDT, 3 August 2017 | Updated: 11:29 EDT, 3 August 2017

e-mail

Manchester United must make sure they are a prime contender for the Premier League title this season, insists former Red Devils great Jaap Stam.

The Dutchman believes United have all the tools they need to compete for the top prize in English football, and can make no excuses following the investments in the squad they have made.

Manager Jose Mourinho has been splashing the cash this summer and, with a month of the transfer window remaining, may not have stopped his spending spree yet.

Jaap Stam insists Manchester United must be challengers for the league title this season

Romelu Lukaku arrived in a £75m deal, while United bolstered their midfield ranks with the addition of £40m Nemanja Matic from Chelsea.

And Stam has now heaped pressure on his former club by insisting the time to perform and step up to the plate is now.

'A club like United, you always want to win the league. It's always their aim. It has to be their aim, to win the league,' Stam told Sky Sports.

'Bringing certain players in with a certain quality, it's always been like that at United as well.

Jose Mourinho has heavily invested in his side, buying Romelu Lukaku for £75m this summer

United also brought in £40m midfielder Nemanja Matic and are expected to win silverware

'You're always looking as a manager, Mourinho as well, how last season went and what quality do we need. You're going to be looking for that as a club.

'You can see now, with the signings that they've done, brought some great players in; quality-wise very good, experience-wise very good as well.

'That makes it interesting as well because if you look at the other teams as well, they're all bringing good players in because they all want to win the league or do well in the Champions League,' he added.

Club legend Stam, pictured during a charity game in 2013, is held in high regard at United

United kick-off their season by hosting West Ham United at Old Trafford.

The game could be set to see Mourinho's side come up against a familiar face, with ex-Red Devil Javier Hernandez now on the books of the East London club.