Manchester United legend Denis Irwin has no doubts in his mind.

The Red Devils may not have enjoyed the best of starts to their Premier League title defence but their initial struggles under new manager David Moyes have not shaken Irwin’s belief that the 20-time English champions remain the team to beat.

“It is going to be a really close title challenge but I have no doubt that we will be right in there. We’re still the ones to beat,” Irwin told the hundreds of fans who thronged the premises of the Manchester United Supporters’ Club in Sta Venera yesterday.

Irwin, winner of an array of trophies, including seven Premier League titles and the Champions League in 1999, visited the local club to launch a new agreement between Banif Bank and Manchester United.

The deal with the Old Trafford giants promises to bring a plethora of benefits for the United faithful and the Maltese fans will surely not miss out, moreso after Banif signed a four-year partnership agreement with the local supporters’ club, spearheaded by president Joseph Tedesco.

“We had a tough start,” Irwin said of Manchester United’s early-season performances.

“We didn’t play well against Man. City (1-4) and then West Brom came to Old Trafford. They beat us and that was a big surprise.

“David Moyes took some time to settle but didn’t join the club before July 1. Man. City and Chelsea have a new manager and Tottenham have spent a lot of money on new players.

“We have some tough games coming up. A lot of teams can beat each other. We’ll be there and if we don’t win it, we won’t be far away.”

Sir Alex Ferguson, the former Manchester United manager who called time on his trophy-laden reign last May, singled out Irwin for special praise in his autobiography.

“Without doubt,” was Irwin’s answer when asked if Ferguson deserves to be ranked among the greatest managers of all time.

“I’ve had 12 years with him. If you worked hard and did your best, you had no problems with Ferguson. He was terrific for me. His man-management was his biggest asset.”

‘Mr Reliable’ and ‘unsung hero’ were some of the titles attributed to Irwin during his extraordinary spell with United.

The ex-Irish defender, who played 56 times for his country, picked his early successes with United as his most treasured honours. “My first medal was the Cup Winners’ Cup when we beat Barcelona 2-1 in Rotterdam (1990-91),” Irwin, 48, said.

“We were the big underdogs for that final because Barcelona were a formidable side.

“They went on to win the European Cup the following year and that shows you how strong they were. That medal was special for me.

“When we won our first Premier League title (in 1992-93) was also a great moment.

“The club grew in confidence after that. Winning the title gave the club the belief to go on and achieve the success it has had.

“1999 was a great year but a lot of that stemmed from those early successes.”

Last season’s pulsating Champions League final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund at Wembley has sparked widespread suggestions that English clubs will find it difficult to usurp the two Bundesliga heavyweights in the quest for European glory.

The two Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, are also seen as having an edge over England’s finest but Irwin is convinced that United can hold their own in Europe.

“Bayern are a fantastic side,” Irwin said.

“Borussia Dortmund are also good but they may struggle to qualify from their group.

“The two Spanish sides are strong. What the level of the current United team is I don’t know.

“If you look at last season, we looked well-placed to reach the quarter-finals but Nani was sent off against Real and the game changed.

“For sure, you need a lot of luck to win the Champions League. We’re just short of the teams at the top but we’re still a very good side.”

Irwin was hard-pressed to name the best United player he’s played with before plumping for Roy Keane.

“When I joined the club in 1990, there was Bryan Robson and he was fantastic,” he said.

“He was the player that stood out. Then Keane came in 1993 and what a player he was, very much in Robbo’s mould.

“Ryan Giggs has been at United for 20 years and Paul Scholes was tremendous. Eric (Cantona) was different.... in a positive way. Ruud van Nistelrooy was a terrific striker.

“But Roy (Keane) had a massive impact in the 11 years he spent at United.

“He may not have dribbled like Giggs or passed the ball like Scholes or David Beckham but if there was a ball to be won between the two players, you knew where the ball was going. He was a great leader.”