Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been effusive in his praise of Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill whose side he feels can break into the top four. He said: "I thought their performance against Arsenal was outstanding last week and I expect a difficult challenge."
The win at Arsenal sees Villa tucked just beneath the Gunners in fifth place, separated only by goal difference, while Martin O'Neill's men are only one point behind United in third.
He said: "I think they have a chance. I think they can do that. At the moment they're level with Arsenal, just behind us, that's a good position to be in."
The United boss is in no doubt what the reason is behind Villa's improvement in recent seasons.
He added: "Without question, Villa are an improving side and Martin (O'Neill) has done a fantastic job there. He never changes his side much from the previous week so they have that consistency.
"Martin is one of the best managers in the game. He's proved himself.
"The only way you can judge managers is how they prove themselves over a period and the job he did at Leicester, Celtic and now Villa shows he is an obvious top manager, no question about that."