Former Manchester United winger Keith Gillespie believes that the Premier League champions are in a "crisis" following their disappointing start to 2014.

The North-West outfit currently reside seventh in the Premier League table, have already been knocked out of the FA Cup and were hit with a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final last night.

"It was inconceivable to think that United could lose three games in a row," Gillespie told BBC Radio 5 live. "At the minute things are just not going right for them.

"I think a crisis before might have been finishing second in the league, but now there's a real chance they might not even finish in the top four and that is something that you don't associate with United."

Reports have emerged this week claiming that the club have given manager David Moyes £100m to spend on players this month.