While that may be an unrealistic target, seven wins from the remaining nine games will see Sir Alex Ferguson's side hit the record. In Premier League terms, they have little else to concern them. They have already opened up a 15-point gap over Manchester City and victory over their rivals at Old Trafford next month would raise the possibility of also breaking the record for the biggest winning margin ever.Even the mere mention of Cantona will have many United supporters longing for teams of the past. It was the Frenchman who inspired that first title for 26 years back in 1993. Then there was the 1999 side with its fabled midfield quartet and the four strikers to which all future squads must be compared. As recently as 2008, United fans could boast a fluid front-three of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. How can this version possibly compare.And yet, there remains a reluctance to praise this Manchester United vintage. The feeling persists that this is not a classic year and not just because Martin Tyler is unlikely to be yelling like a madman on the final day.Everyone remembers that United were without the suspended duo of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes for their memorable Champions League triumph in 1999. But their replacements featured more often than is sometimes portrayed. Hit-and-miss winger Jesper Blomqvist started the majority of Premier League matches that season, as did functional midfielder Nicky Butt. The presence of fifth-choice Jonathan Greening on the bench that evening puts the current obsession with a paucity of options into some perspective. The quality of the league is being questioned. "I think standard-wise this has been one of the worst ever," said Alan Shearer, the Premier League's all-time top-scorer.
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