Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick believes that six teams could be challenging for the Premier League title in the upcoming season.

The Red Devils won the 2012-13 campaign relatively comfortably, but Carrick has suggested that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will be fighting for United's top spot alongside Manchester City and Chelsea.

"In the end, the last few years, it's been similar teams up there with us," ESPN quotes Carrick as saying. "City and Chelsea changing managers, there is a different feel about it, but its strong squads and the best teams that come to the top and hopefully we will be right up there.

"It's certainly going to be tough because there are five or six teams now that fancy their chances at the title or certainly the top two or three, so we will have to be as good if not better than ever."

Meanwhile, manager David Moyes has reiterated that striker Wayne Rooney is not for sale following a rejected bid from Chelsea.