Asked if he believed Sunday's goalless draw has all but ruled United out of the title race, he replied: 'Certainly not!
Though he didn't sound so convincing when he added:
'Although it's a worrying time for United fans, I can assure you it's not the end of the world. As long as they qualify for Europe, that's what matters. The league is looking a bit dodgy but the way they are going in Europe, they could do something there.'
'The year before last they were 12 points behind going into the beginning of the year and they went on to win it. In football, it's never over until it's over. You never know what will happen - Arsenal were on a great run but they've stumbled a bit recently and you never know, that could continue.'
The Lawman however is sure that things will turn around once Ruud is back in the side.
'It's just a phase they're going through. You can't forget that van Nistelrooy didn't play yesterday and that he hasn't played in other games when they didn't score. It just shows how much they've missed him.'