Gary Neville has been criticised by Danny Mills after the former Manchester United player claimed that Manchester City will never be bigger than the Reds.
The two Manchester clubs have had polar opposite starts to the Premier League this season. City are currently top after two matches thanks to wins over West Ham and Bournemouth where Pep Guardiola's side have scored six goals without conceding.
United find themselves languishing in last place following defeats to Brighton and Brentford where an Alexis Mac Allister own goal for the Seagulls is the only reply to the six goals that the Reds have conceded this season. The gap between the two sides could be set to widen further this weekend as the Blues travel to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, while the Reds host Liverpool at Old Trafford on Monday night.
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Despite City's dominant start, Neville took a swipe at the club as he spoke on The Diary of a CEO's YouTube channel. He claimed that even with their current success, the Blues will never be as big as United.
Neville said: "Pep Guardiola is a genius, the football is mesmerising. The operation is slick. It will bring criticism from football fans and Man City fans, but it’ll never, ever be Man United. It can win more trophies but it can never be bigger in scale or size. It doesn’t have the roots, the history."
These comments caught the attention of Mills, who made over 50 appearances for the City, as he told the Express in association with Sky Bet that he disagrees with the former United's player opinion.
Mills said: "Fanbases take a very long time to grow. Man United are not one of the biggest clubs in the world because of the Class of ’92 and Sir Alex Ferguson. You’ve got to go back to the Busby Babes and everything else.
"City don’t have that history but if they continue this way, their fanbase will grow and grow as they win more trophies. If Man United continue to play the way they do, their fanbase will dwindle because kids won’t want to support them anymore, they’ll want to support Man City because that’s what kids do. It’s down to history.
"To say that they’ll never be there is totally wrong. Man United didn’t just appear as one of the biggest clubs in the world, neither did Liverpool. It’s built over the course of time. Once upon a time, Nottingham Forest were one of the biggest clubs in Europe but look what happened to them. At the moment City don’t rival them for commercial prowess but there’s no reason to say that can’t happen.
"Man City have enjoyed success for around a decade so realistically, in terms of success, they’re 10 years old. In terms of success, United are over 50 years old. In another 40 years, where are City going to be? Gary Neville has got no idea where either team will be."
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