United aim to build on formidable start

SWANSEA (United Kingdom): Anthony Martial has warned Manchester United not to get carried away by their impressive start to the Premier League season as the leaders head to Swansea on Saturday.

An emphatic 4-0 victory over West Ham in their opening game suggested United have shaken off a tendency to draw matches they should be winning, putting them in good spirits for the trip to south Wales.

United were held to 15 league draws last season, more than any other team in the top division, and one of them was against Swansea at Old Trafford in April.

Jose Mourinho's side look much better equipped now to deal with sides who sit deep and try to frustrate them; their attacking verve was too much for a defensively minded Hammers side last Sunday.

The British record £75 million ($96 million) fee paid to Everton for Romelu Lukaku already looks like money well spent, with the Belgium striker scoring twice on his league debut, while Nemanja Matic, a £40 million recruit from Chelsea, was outstanding in midfield.

Mourinho's men look well set to improve on last season's sixth place finish and the United manager has even spoken of a title challenge this season.

He has won the domestic title in his second season in each of his last five managerial positions - at Porto, Chelsea twice, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

With Chelsea faltering at home to Burnley last weekend, Mourinho's hopes of marking his second season at Old Trafford by winning the Premier League may just have grown a little.

Not that it's time to start dreaming of future glory just yet, according to United striker Martial, who scored against West Ham after coming off the bench.

"As a squad, we haven't really talked about specific aims for the season too much so far, but the goal is to win as many titles as possible," he said.

"That is what we tried to do last year and it's what we are going to try to do this year." - AFP