• Mourinho: ‘I think even City’s B team could fight for the title’ • United agree €10m deal for Monaco teenager Hannibal Mejbri

José Mourinho has ruled Manchester United and Chelsea out of title contention – and added that Manchester City’s “B team” might be good enough to win the Premier League.

Mourinho was a lively presence on Sky Sports in the buildup to the clash between his former clubs at Old Trafford on Sunday, having signed up as a pundit for the new season.

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When asked which teams he thought could win the title, Mourinho said “Four. Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and the City B team. When I looked at the bench [against West Ham], the players not involved, I think even the B team could fight for the title.”

Mourinho also gave his thoughts on Chelsea, claiming that his former player, Frank Lampard, will not face the same pressure as he did at Stamford Bridge.

“In this moment, with the transfer ban, that releases the pressure,” he said. “They have a very good squad of course. I am very curious to see the direction Frank is going to go. Today, does [Olivier] Giroud or Tammy Abraham play?

“If Abraham plays and Chelsea doesn’t win, people can go in the direction of the younger players. They need time, they are not playing to win the Premier League. You don’t buy players but you buy time.”

Eight months on from his Manchester United exit, Mourinho does not expect his former team to win the league – but said “the dressing room must feel they can win the title. If they don’t feel it, they are in trouble, but I think to finish top-four would be a good achievement. I don’t feel this season they can [win]but I hope they feel they can because that will be an important motivational push for them.

“When I said that [finishing] second the previous season was one of my biggest achievements in football, I was not having fun with the words,” he added. “I didn’t feel last season we did enough in the transfer window to allow us to compete for [the title], because the distance to [Manchester City] was very considerable.”

The 56-year-old began his punditry stint by joking “I hope it’s not going to be for a long time.” Mourinho has said he is targeting a return to management soon but recently turned down an offer from the Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande.

United agree €10m deal for Monaco teenager Mejbri

Manchester United have agreed a €10m (£9.4m) deal to sign the highly rated French teenager Hannibal Mejbri from Monaco, subject to Fifa clearance.

The 16-year-old midfielder was also thought to be on the radars of Leicester City and Tottenham – but United have announced they have “reached an agreement” with Monaco. The Ligue 1 club will reportedly receive €5m up front, with the rest in potential add-ons.

United have also signed the forward Dillon Hoogewerf from Ajax, a midfielder, Mateo Mejia, from Real Zaragoza and a goalkeeper, Johan Guadagno, from the Swedish club Brommapojkarna, while the centre-back Bjorn Hardley is awaiting clearance to complete a move from NAC Breda.