Gary Neville does not believe Manchester United have the squad to win the Premier League title this season, but the former defender stressed that he already sees the makings of a championship-winning team under Jose Mourinho.

Neville called the shots on Sky Sports as United held Liverpool to a 0-0 draw in what proved to be a largely forgettable affair. United had David De Gea to thank as he made two fantastic saves in the second half to deny Emre Can and Philippe Coutinho, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a close-range header that could have sewn up three points for the visitors.

Speaking after the match, Neville joined former teammate Ryan Giggs and Monday Night Football colleague Jamie Carragher in criticising the performances of both teams in what proved to be an anti-climax, and the former Valencia manager added that Mourinho is yet to put his finishing touches on the squad despite spending over £145m in the summer transfer window.

“It tells you where United are but they aren't ready (to win the league),” Neville said of the performance at Anfield.

“It's like when he [Mourinho] went back to Chelsea and admitted he couldn't win the title. They (United) don't have the quality. They didn't get enough set pieces but also failed on the counter attack because players were so deep. “

Neville was quick to stress though that he was not writing Mourinho’s chances off, with the Portuguese signing a three-year contract upon his arrival at Old Trafford to replace Louis van Gaal in the summer.

Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Loris Karius – 4 out of 10 Didn’t have too much to do but looked nervous when the crosses did come in and his loose pass nearly gave United the lead. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Nathaniel Clyne – 5 out of 10 Couldn’t attack anywhere near as much as he normally likes to and was restricted in what he could contribute. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Joel Matip – 7 out of 10 Had a good battle with Ibrahimovic throughout and probably got the better of the big Swede. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Dejan Lovren – 7 out of 10 Like Matip, did well to keep Ibrahimovic quiet and read the play well. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings James Milner – 7 out of 10 Could have had a tough night against Rashford but continued his impressive run at left back. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Jordan Henderson – 5 out of 10 Struggled to get his foot on the ball as he lost the midfield battle to United’s pairing. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Emre Can – 5 out of 10 Much of the play passed him by as it seems he is still lacking match fitness on his first Premier League start of the season. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Sadio Mane – 6 out of 10 Continued to drop deep in hope of making something happen and was probably the liveliest of Liverpool’s attacking players. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Philippe Coutinho – 5 out of 10Philippe Coutinho – 5 out of 10 Looked out of sorts and made uncharacteristic errors with his forward passing and crossing. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Roberto Firmino – 5 out of 10 Similar to Coutinho, he also struggled to find any space between the lines to work in. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Daniel Sturridge – 4 out of 10 Anonymous in the first half and replaced before the hour mark by Lallana. He has now gone 615 minutes without a Premier League goal. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings David De Gea – 8 out of 10 Didn’t put a foot wrong and was needed to pull off two world-class saves from Can and Coutinho. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Antonio Valencia – 8 out of 10 Continued his fine start to the season and saved the game for United with a stunning last-ditch challenge. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Chris Smalling – 6 out of 10 Did well to keep Coutinho and co. out but United’s captain for the night was overshadowed by his new centre-back partner. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Eric Bailly – 7 out of 10 A strong and commanding performance by Bailly as he kept Liverpool’s attacking quartet quiet. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Daley Blind – 5 out of 10 Could have been found out with his lack of pace but held his own against the Reds’ pacey attacks. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Marouane Fellaini – 7 out of 10 Helped control the game from midfield and broke up play well alongside Herrera. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Ander Herrera – 8 out of 10 Was the best outfield player of the game. He was dynamic and won possession well on multiple occasions. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Paul Pogba – 5 out of 10 Played in a more advanced role but other than a few neat passes he looked frustrated as he struggled to make anything happen. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Marcus Rashford – 5 out of 10 Didn’t get past Milner as much as he’d have liked but the one time he did he fired in a dangerous cross that Liverpool struggled to deal with. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Ashley Young – 6 out of 10 Did exactly what he was put into the team for. Crossed well and worked back industriously to keep Clyne quiet. Liverpool vs Manchester United player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 4 out of 10 Cut a frustrated figure up front as he struggled to link with his midfielders amid the pressure from Matip and Lovren.

Since breaking onto the European stage with Porto, Mourinho has always won a domestic league title within two seasons, and Neville believes that he will add further in the transfer window – either in January or next summer – to put his finishing touches onto what could develop into a title-winning squad.

“[There’s been] Three bad transfer windows at United,” Neville said of Van Gaal’s reign. “I think his [Mourinho’s] team will have gone up in his estimations in terms of resilience and in terms of focus.

Jose Mourinho mocks Liverpool's reputation for attacking football after draw

“At Chelsea in his first season he signed a few players and then completed the jigsaw in the second season. He'll know already what he does and doesn't want.