Man United have not had the start to the season that they would have hoped for.

There was a lot of promise after Jose Mourinho's side were able to defeat Leicester City 2-1 on the opening day of the Premier League.

But it has gone rapidly downhill ever since.

Man United travelled to Brighton & Hove Albion the following week as the heavy favourites, but they failed to perform as expected as they were shocked 3-2.

And last weekend their situation got even worse when they were convincingly beaten 3-0 by Tottenham.

Many feel as if Man United are in a crisis and that it's hard to envisage this United side getting into the top four.

Peter Crouch has written about their current situation in his column with the Daily Mail, and he's sent a truthful message to those doubting Mourinho and his side.

Crouch wrote: "It has been a difficult start to the season, to put it mildly, but I honestly don't think the situation is as desperate as some are saying.

"We are in a game of fine margins and if Romelu Lukaku had taken his chance in the first half, I think United may have attacked less and made it more difficult for Spurs to create.

"It could have been a different game.

"The game wasn't as one-sided as a 3-0 defeat suggests and I don't think it means United are out of the race to finish in the top four, either.

"Look at their squad again and you can see the amount of quality they can call on. Once they start winning — which they will — United will be in among it."

Well said, Crouch. United are in a bad patch at the moment, but the Premier League season is only three games old.

Man United actually had the better of Tottenham in the first half, and if Lukaku was able to convert his open goal opportunity in the first half, the game would have changed completely.

With the likes of Paul Pogba, Alexis Sanchez and Lukaku among their ranks, too, this is a team more than capable of winning a lot of games in a row when they are on song.

So as Crouch says, although they are currently positioned in 13th with three points in as many games, United are not in as desperate a situation as many think they are in.

Where do you think Man United will finish this season? Have your say by leaving a comment below.