Any talk of who might win this Premiership will again surround the usual suspects - I mean Manchester United, Chelsea, Leeds, Arsenal and Liverpool. I don't think any other team has the depth of players or the financial clout to be able to sustain any sort of challenge on these five.

And of those, Manchester United are quite rightly the favourites. They've got everything you would want in a football team, starting with a manager who God knows what drives him, but is now getting close to being regarded as the best ever. They have outstanding players in all key positions as well as great durability within the squad, so that they can chop and change players without making any great deal of difference.

On top of that, there is an incredible loyalty throughout the squad and more than any other team in the Premiership, they have this ability to not play well and still win games. Rarely do they lose at home and even away, they can be under pressure for long periods and still come out on top.

The main reason why they might lose, I think, would be injuries to key players: Jaap Stam, Roy Keane, David Beckham and players like that. They can deal with the demands of all other competitions but if they start losing those kind of players through injury then winning may become a problem.

Either way, I think Chelsea will get closest to them this season. Last year, because of the nucleus of the team, there were certain players who regarded Europe as a bigger competition than the league but with the players they've bought this summer, there is a realisation that they have the best team in a long time.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at £15 million is still good value because he has an outstanding scoring record. He has averaged 20 goals a season in every team he's been with, and that's in average teams and in good teams.

One thing about Chelsea, they'll always create lots of chances and now they've got that out-and-out goalscorer they've wanted for years. Chris Sutton was never going to score goals for them and I couldn't understand £10 million for him but now that's water under the Stamford Bridge.

Mario Stanic is a good player on the right side of midfield which has been a problem position for them; it allows Denis Wise to play inside, so like United they have got cover everywhere. Ed de Goey has come on greatly as a goalkeeper in the Premiership; he's unfussy and doesn't make many mistakes, and Marcel Desailly is a colossus of a player. Wise has realised his talent if he can curb his temper.

They appear to me to have every position covered twice over and with a proven goalscorer at last, we can expect a real battle with United for the title. Plus they are the best passing team in the league.

Leeds were there for so long last year and we can expect a similar showing this season but they are now there to be shot at. Everybody knows now they have some very good players and will be a real threat.

Harry Kewell is again going to be key for them but he has got one or two injury problems and it looks as if he'll play in the Olympics as well. So I do think this will be their most difficult season since Dave O'Leary took over and I do expect that Chelsea will steal the march on them.

Then you have Arsenal. The problem with them is how long it will take the new players to settle in. Of course they regard themselves as one of the top three teams in the country but they've sold Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit, which is a massive blow.

I'm a big Overmars fan because he gives you that width and pace and now they're asking Robert Pires to come in and play that position but I don't think he can do that over the course of a season.

Of all the new signings in Liverpool, I feel that Gary McAllister might prove to be the best, even though he came in for just his wages. I can see him playing well with Dietmar Hamann and Steven Gerrard and I think the quality of his passing is something Liverpool have probably lacked in the past few years.

Markus Babbel will add greatly to the back four and they do look strong. Yet they do have to sort out their striking positions and they have to come up with another way of playing rather than just through the centre.

Bernard Diomede will add width but they still seem limited in those striking positions. And I certainly don't think they have the quality in the wide areas of midfield that United and Arsenal have.

After that, you think of Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough and expect one of them might sneak into the top six but it's not too clear which. They're still rebuilding at Newcastle and with all the money that Bryan Robson has spent, you feel he will have to start getting it right this year in terms of consistency. He has signed some useful strikers in the likes of Christian Karembeu and I do expect them to be stronger this year.

Last year, United were 18 points clear after using four goalkeepers and conceding more goals than they had in a long time. If anything, they'll be an even more settled side this year and that doesn't bode well for the opposition.

Fulham continued their winning start to the English first division season yesterday, beating Birmingham City 3-1 away. Fulham, among the favourites to win promotion, made it two wins out of two after beating Crewe 2-0 in last weekend's season opener.

Scottish midfielder John Collins and Louis Saha scored for the visitors while Danny Sonner pulled one back for City.