Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has heaped praise upon his side after they secured the Premier League title with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa this evening.

The win lifted United 16 points clear of closest rivals Manchester City, who have just five games left to play.

It has been suggested that the current crop of players is not as good as teams that United have had in the past, but Ferguson believes that they have proved themselves to be every bit as good as their predecessors.

"Our consistency for the last 20 years has been unbelievable. It is dead easy to say [that past teams are better than this one], nostalgia plays tricks on people's minds. You do it yourself. You say 'things were not the same when I was a boy' but it is nostalgia," Ferguson told BBC Sport.

"We have, what, 84 points? And at this stage of the season, we have never done that. That pedestal is there, players have joined that pedestal.

"It is sweet, doesn't matter when you win it, the consistency has been phenomenal. We have lived up to the expectation. This could arguable be [our best ever squad]. There is a lot of youth and a lot will get better, we expect that."

United could still break Chelsea's Premier League record for number of points in a season if they win each of their remaining four games.