Manchester United host Stoke City this weekend but Hughes is unsure on the credentials of his old side.
Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has suggested ahead of his side’s trip to Old Trafford that Manchester United are lacking the mindset to challenge for the Premier League title this season, Sky Sports report.
United host Premier League strugglers Stoke this weekend having experienced a mixed start to the current campaign, winning four games and losing two including a 2-1 home defeat to rivals Manchester City.
Jose Mourinho has been tasked with bringing the glory days back to United following disappointing spells under David Moyes and Louis van Gaal, yet Hughes suggests his opponent has plenty of work ahead.
“I played in a winning Manchester United team that was challenging for titles year on year, and that team from personal experience had the mindset that they have to win every game,” Hughes told Sky Sports.
“I’m not sure whether the current group have that feeling, but they have the talent to do that.”
United spent heavily in the summer and brought in stellar names such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and France international midfielder Paul Pogba for a club-record transfer fee.
However, despite spending vast sums of money on new players, United have been sluggish at times already this season and it appears they have a long way to go before challenging for the title.
Hughes feels it could be a season of transition for the Red Devils, though he does sense that his former side have what it takes to finish higher than their fifth place finish last term.
He added: “It is maybe a little bit of a transitional period that they are going through, but you sense that there will be a marked improvement on where they finish this season.”
The Potters head in to the match with just two points from their opening six matches, drawing their last outing 1-1 at home to West Bromwich Albion.
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