Gary Neville gives blunt assessment of Newcastle United's Premier League title chances

The Premier League is back underway, and after tonight's game between Everton and Leeds United, we'll have the first look at the table after everyone has played a game.

At this early stage, obviously, it means very little. Unless you're a Sunderland fan, in which case you've been celebrating all weekend like the trophy was coming to Wearside.

What it does mean, though, is that fans and pundits have had a chance to look at how each side is looking and whether their pre-season predictions look set to hold any merit.

Liverpool and Manchester City were heavily backed to be title favourites before the season got underway, and after Game Week 1, we doubt anyone's confidence in that feeling will have been shaken.

Gary Neville doesn't see Newcastle, Tottenham or Aston Villa as title contenders

As for other contenders, Arsenal and Chelsea were in the mix, and the likes of Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa were in the conversation for a few, but not for Gary Neville, who reiterated to Sky Sports his feeling that those three don't have what it takes right now to mount a title challenge.

“I’m not being dismissive of the other teams in terms of saying they’re poor teams or nowhere near good enough.

“They just haven’t got that experience, that maturity, that title-winning feel about them yet, those teams that you have just mentioned.

“Aston Villa and Newcastle are not going to win the league.”

Did anyone have Newcastle down as title winners this season?

To be fair, I'm not sure there were many Newcastle fans going into this season thinking the Premier League title was going to be ours, especially not after the summer we've had.

We probably aren't in that title conversation just yet, but we are getting closer. I'd still put us as higher than Spurs and Villa in the running. I'm not convinced by Manchester United or even Chelsea after the weekend, but again, it's really too soon to draw any concrete conclusions.

With Eddie Howe at the helm, though, anything is possible. What he's achieved with a good squad is unbelievable. The more we keep adding, the closer we get to being a great squad, and then the sky's the limit.