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Jose Mourinho has insisted Manchester United will challenge for the Premier League title again under Louis van Gaal.

The Reds are currently facing a battle to secure a return to the Champions League, with Arsenal, Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham all firmly in the race to join City and Chelsea in the top four.

United's hopes took a hit on Saturday when they slipped down to fourth after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

But Mourinho expects Van Gaal, who he worked closely with at Barcelona between 1997 and 2000, to get his team ticking again.

And the Chelsea boss remains adamant that his former colleague will join him in pursuit of top honours in the coming seasons.

"He is a fantastic coach and it’s easy for me to say as I know him so well and he is a fantastic person," he said during a guest appearance on Sky Sports' Goals on Sunday.

"But he has been in so many years of his career before he came to England. In the same way a player needs time to adapt to understand things to perform at the highest level it is the same for Louis.

"He will have time to make Manchester United win titles again. This season they still have a chance to do that with the FA Cup and they also have the opportunity to finish in the top four and go back to the Champions League, which is the minimum for a team like them.

"When you see the titles he has won and his experience, I don’t see any reason why they can’t be pushing for titles."