New minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a three-year plan to return Manchester United to a dominant position over Manchester City. There's nothing wrong with ambition and bold goals, but sometimes reality gets in the way. Sunday's 3-1 derby defeat against Pep Guardiola's side demonstrated the Everest-sized mountain United must climb to achieve this.
United are not even a real rival to City at the moment. Since last winning the Premier League title in 2013, United have failed to finish above their neighbors in the league and although City have won 15 major titles in that time, including the Champions League, the United have managed just four by winning two EFL Cups, an FA Cup and Europa League.
This season alone, United are 18 points behind City in the league, while suffering 11 defeats to City's three. City have scored 62 goals; United have 37. Embarrassingly for Erik ten Hag's side, they also have a goal difference of -2, despite the apparent wealth of attacking talent in the Old Trafford squad.
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However, if we go back in time to 2008, when Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan completed his takeover of City with promises to transform a club that had suffered more relegations (five) than trophies won (zero) since lifting the EFL Cup In 1976, the outlook was even bleaker for City. They were branded a “small club with a small mentality” by Sir Alex Ferguson and mocked as “noisy neighbours” by the United manager, who also said “not in my life” when asked if City could ever topple his club to become the best team in Manchester.
Back then, not a single City player would be considered good enough to deserve a place in United's matchday squad. The gulf was that big. But times have changed in Manchester, categorically, and the challenge facing Ratcliffe (whose Ineos group has now taken over football operations at Old Trafford after buying a 27.7% stake in the club from the majority owners, the Glazer family) is to affect a change in the balance of power that makes United competitive again.
The first challenge, despite moves to appoint a new CEO (City's director of football operations Omar Berrada) and director of football (Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth), is to create a stronger team and the Sunday's defeat against City illustrated the task ahead.
If none of City's players had made it to Ferguson's United team in 2008, how many players from Ten Hag's team have the attributes to be in the Etihad team now?
The painful truth for United is that only one of their players' case can be made: 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
He has been a rare success story at United this season, establishing himself in the team as a midfielder with composure, vision and maturity beyond his years. Guardiola loves Mainoo style players and, despite the teenager's youth and inexperience, would jump at the chance to work with him.
But beyond Mainoo, who else could make the transition from United to City right now? Striker Marcus Rashford and midfielder Bruno Fernandes would be classified as “maybes” because they are both exceptionally talented. However, neither has been able to deliver consistently.
Rashford, who has only scored six goals all season, is an enigma. His impressive first goal against City on Sunday showed his devastating ability, but his subsequent performance also highlighted the negative elements of his game in terms of poor pressing, decision-making and half-hearted defending.
Guardiola demands a lot of intensity and work rate from all his players, which is why Rashford would infuriate him. Although the City coach would also support himself to get that out of him and get the best out of the United forward, as he has done with so many other players throughout his career.
But while Rashford could break into Guardiola's team thanks to what he could offer from the left flank alongside Erling Haaland or Phil Foden, Fernandes wastes too much possession to match the level at City and it's hard to imagine him being considered better than the options that Guardiola already has in the midfield, such as Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Mateo Kovacic and Julián Álvarez.
United winger Alejandro Garnacho could catch the eye of Guardiola and the City boss would be impressed by the tenacity and desire of 21-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund but, like Fernandes, neither of them would yet meet the criteria to enter. the City team.
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As for the rest of the United team, they wouldn't be anywhere near considered good enough for City. Many are not even good enough for United. And the same could be said for coach Ten Hag, whose limitations have been exposed repeatedly this season, and once again by Guardiola this weekend.
Ask Guardiola about Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, or the players at Mikel Arteta's disposal with Arsenal, and the City boss would reach double figures in terms of players who would be good enough for his team. But the lack of quality means only Mainoo would genuinely attract Guardiola's attention at United.
Ratcliffe and his team of advisers are right to make it clear that there can be no quick fix at Old Trafford. City are ahead of United in every aspect on the pitch and, apart from global support and history, they are beating them in every aspect off it too.
But until City start casting envious glances at players in the United team, the red half of Manchester will remain in the shadow of the blue side. There is a long way to go for United and three years seems an optimistic time frame to turn the tide.
