Readers of skysports.com have placed Man Utd as strong favourites to retain the title.
Readers and bookies make United clear favourites for title
Readers of
skysports.com have placed Manchester United as strong favourites to retain their Premier League title in an online poll.
More than 70,000 readers have voted on who will win this season's Premier League, with a staggering 30,000 (43 per cent) believing United are best placed to retain their crown.
United, who won their record 19th title last season, are also favourites amongst bookmakers;
and Sky Bet currently price them at 13/8 to win their 20th championship.
Sir Alex Ferguson bought early in this summer's transfer window in an attempt to fill the gaps left by the trio of Edwin van der Sar, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, all of whom retired last season.
His recruitment drive has seen Atletico Madrid goalkeeper David De Gea, Blackburn centre-back Phil Jones and Aston Villa's Ashley Young arrive for nearly £60million.
Blues
Chelsea are joint-second favourites in the poll (16 per cent), correlating with Sky Bet's 11/4 on Andre-Villas Boas' first season ending with the Premier League title. The online betting firm also offer 2/1 that it's Manchester United and Chelsea who occupy the top two in May.
The arrival of Sergio Aguero, who is 14/1 to be the top Premier League goalscorer, has done little to convince readers of Manchester City's title credentials as Roberto Mancini's men have only garnered only six per cent of support.
Sky Bet appear to back them more strongly, making them
4/1 to win the title and 15/2 to do so by bumping rivals United into 2nd.
Instead, it's the rejuvenated Liverpool who catch the eye with over 16 per cent of the vote.
The Reds have gone 21 years without a league championship but have added Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing to their ranks.
The duo of Suarez (
10/1 top scorer) and Carroll (16/1 top scorer) will be Liverpool's main source of success; they're available at 9/1 to take the title, and 40/1 to finish above Man Utd in 2nd and Chelsea in 3rd.
Arsenal
People haven't forgotten Arsenal either, it seems, with 14 per cent of the vote for them. Arsene Wenger is under more pressure now than any other time in his 16-year reign, but
Sky Bet make him 9/1 to confound critics and lead Arsenal to the Premier League top spot.
Sky Bet's Head of PR, Dale Tempest agrees with both the bookmakers and
skysports.com readers on United's chances.
He said: "While Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool will all have their own title ambitions, there can be no doubt that the worthy 13/8 favourites are Manchester United.
"Sir Alex seems to have reinvented his side without anyone noticing. The new faces of Young, De Gea, Cleverley, Jones and Welbeck are all set to feature significantly during the season.
"On top of that, Nani looks back to his best, Rooney will do what Rooney does and Vidic will once again be the rock the United team is built around.
"It looks like title number 20 for United."
