Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given has said that he is hoping that Manchester City can lift the title ahead of United. Shay Given played for Manchester City for a few seasons before being eventually replaced by current goalkeeper Joe Hart at the club. The former Newcastle United goalkeeper left the club in search of regular first-team football, which he has found at Aston Villa. Yet, the Northern Ireland goalkeeper has said that he still has very close ties with his former club, and that he would like to see City win the title ahead of United.
There have been many accusations that City have been spending a lot of money in order to compete with Manchester United, which has threatened the Fairplay regulations. Shay Given, meanwhile, believes that money alone does not guarantee success and it is one of the biggest jobs to succeed by having a lot of money. Chelsea have been one of the few examples where money has brought on success according to Shay Given. The goalkeeper made a crucial save during the weekend match against West Brom, which helped Aston Villa get a point on the road. This has put a small gap between them and the other relegation threatened teams.
“I’ve got lots of friends at Manchester City and it would be fantastic if they could pick the trophy up, but they have got a tough game at my old club Newcastle at the weekend. I think they’re in the driving seat and hopefully they can get across the line. Years ago I was at Blackburn and Jack Walker had a lot of money and he invested in the team and Blackburn Rovers won the league. I think if you look at the recent success of Chelsea and Manchester United they have had lots of investment in the team too,” said Given.