Carragher: Manchester United Are Not Yet Champions League Contenders, Current Squad Cannot Be Expected to Go Far

Carragher believes Manchester United do not yet have the quality to be a genuine Champions League title contender this season.

Speaking to CBS Sports after being asked whether Manchester United could challenge for this season's Champions League, Carragher said: "Maybe it is not the time yet."

He continued: "Manchester United have not played in this competition for several years, but even if you go back a few years, they were not always in the Champions League. I think they probably played in it once over a period of five or six years, something like that."

"So, although they are one of the biggest names in world football, I think because this is their first return to the Champions League in a long time, the first objective should be to make sure they get through the league phase, and then in the knockout rounds, see if they can put together a good run, perhaps even reach the quarter-finals or something similar."

"I am not saying this in a condescending way. As I said, Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world."

"But with the squad they have at the moment, I do not think people can expect them to immediately achieve something major and compete with clubs that also have huge reputations. Right now, they do not have enough quality to go very far in this competition."

Meanwhile, Henry believes Manchester United's match against Atletico Madrid next month will provide a clearer indication of the team's potential in this season's Champions League.

Henry added: "This is a perfect home match that can give you a good start when you return to the Champions League."

"By the weekend, you will be able to see what this team is really like, and after the match against Atletico Madrid, perhaps we will have a clearer answer [after the third matchday]. But we will wait and see."

"It is too early to draw conclusions now. It is difficult to judge. Some players were substituted at half-time, and not everyone started because they have Manchester City to play at the weekend. But look, they won against Qarabag."