Murphy believes the Red Devils does not have the team to compete with their rivals for the Premier League title despite re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men put Newcastle United to the sword last Saturday when Ronaldo inspired them to a 4-1 win at Old Trafford in his second debut for the club.
Murphy has warned the Manchester United fans not to get carried away by that emphatic victory as the club will face better teams than Steve Bruce’s side in the coming weeks.
“The last few seasons there’s been many games where they’ve scored goals and looked good from an attacking perspective,” the former Liverpool man told talkSPORT.
“The problem is when they come up against the big five.
“They struggle to win games against the best opposition. Can they transfer that feel good factor they’ve got now into the big games and pick a team that has the right balance to compete with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City? I don’t think so – even with Ronaldo there.
“Are they better than Chelsea? I don’t think so. Are they better than Liverpool and City? I don’t think so.”