Former Spurs manager Tim Sherwood is adamant that the Lilywhites will finish above Manchester United in the Premier League this season, despite Tottenham’s early struggles.

Tottenham Hotspur have not had the best of starts to life in the Premier League this season, having spent most of the opening weeks in the bottom three.

That is far from the kind of start the Lilywhites would have hoped for, especially after their significant summer investment in the first‑team squad.

But it is not all doom and gloom for Spurs, as they finally secured their first win of the season in their latest outing against Coventry City – a victory that has lifted the Lilywhites to 16th place, having now collected six points from a possible 21.

Spurs will hope that their latest win kick-starts their campaign as they aim to finish as high up the table as possible.

Tim Sherwood backs Tottenham for top-eight finish

Before the start of the season, many pundits believed Spurs could compete for a European place, finishing either in the top four or top six.

But their poor start has led to more cautious predictions, with some pundits even rescinding their initial forecasts of a European finish.

Former Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood, however, remains confident the club will secure a top-half finish and even believes they will finish above Manchester United.

Speaking to Jamie Redknapp on The Overlap, Sherwood said when asked if Tottenham would finish above the Red Devils: “Yeah I genuinely think that. Genuinely believe on the evidence I’ve seen I am not sure, because Man United have got the extra games, I am not sure they will be able to cope with that. I think Tottenham will finish… eighth. In around eighth, you know.”

Gary Neville shares belief Spurs can climb up the Premier League table

Sherwood’s assessment is not far off. At present, the difference between Spurs and United is just a single point, with Tottenham on six and United on seven.

A top-eight finish is also realistic, with Spurs only four points behind Everton, who currently occupy that position.

Sherwood is not alone in his belief. Gary Neville also backed Spurs to finish eighth following their 1-1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend.

Neville said: “I actually think if Tottenham can maintain that level of performance, in the way in which they actually approached the game, they will win a lot of football matches and they’ll score a lot of goals.

“Keep those talented players out on the pitch. Get them working hard. Keep that compactness in your defence. Make sure that you wrap the passes into each other and you’ve got a tempo of passing like you’ve had.

“He does know how to coach a football team, Roberto De Zerbi. We’ve seen that with Brighton. We know that he’s got that sort of good way about him. So you’re right.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a certain thing that they’re going to all of a sudden fly up the table. But I actually think Tottenham will start to gradually push up towards top six, eight in the next couple of months. I do think we’ll start to see that sort of movement up the table. I do feel that.”