For anyone associated with Manchester United, last season was tough.

The Red Devils had to sit and watch rivals Manchester City and Liverpool compete for the biggest trophies.

City eventually won the Premier League while Liverpool claimed their sixth Champions League crown.

And worse still is the fact that all signs are pointing towards a repeat of 2018-19 this time around.

Man City have strengthened with the arrivals of Rodri and Joao Cancelo while Liverpool are full of confidence following their European triumph.

Man United, meanwhile, were linked with several players, including Kalidou Koulibaly, Bruno Fernandes and Paulo Dybala, but only managed to bring in Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire.

Yet despite their transfer activity leading to calls for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward’s departure, BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand believes the club will make its way back into the top four.

In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport, Ferdinand predicted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to finish fourth this season.

“I think Man Utd will be a better team this year than they were last year,” the United legend says.

But he’s expecting Man City to be champions once again - and by a bigger margin than the one point they finished ahead of Liverpool last campaign.

“Man City, Liverpool - but by a bigger gap than last season - Spurs, Man United,” Ferdinand says.

Ferdinand’s top four prediction

1. Manchester City

2. Liverpool

3. Tottenham Hotspur

4. Manchester United

So that's no top four finish for Chelsea or Arsenal.

Seeing Man City and Liverpool go at it each year is hurting Ferdinand, who joked that he’s become a pundit at the wrong time.

“It hurts man, it hurts,” the 40-year-old adds. “I’ve got to speak about Liverpool and Man City winning things and being better than Man United at the moment.

“I’ve come into this punditry game at the wrong time because it hurts my soul having to talk like this.

“But as a pundit you’ve got to be honest, you’ve got to say it as you see it and those two teams are by far the better teams in the league at the moment.”

BT Sport is gearing up for its biggest season yet with 52 live Premier League games. Watch live on TV or via the BT Sport app.