On Monday
the likes of Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Radamel Falcao enjoyed
kickabouts with kids in schools across Manchester for United's admirable
foundation.
Across
the city, Manuel Pellegrini and Samir Nasri were facing the world's
media ahead of Tuesday's Champions League visit of Barcelona.
Things have changed in these parts with the blue half seemingly in the ascendency after decades of red dominance.
Here Sportsmail examines whether Manchester City are now a bigger club than Manchester United...
+11
Colombian striker Radamel Falcao shows off his dribbling during a school visit on Monday
Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri (left) shares a joke with manager Manuel Pellegrini on Monday
RECENT HISTORY
City
undoubtedly hold the upper hand. Two Premier League titles in three
years have been greeted deliriously by the previously success-starved
blue half of Manchester.
This
year they are locked in a two-horse race with Chelsea, with United
lagging behind in the chasing pack as the home strait looms large. The
noisy neighbours have cranked up the volume to 11 and it appears to be
stuck there. Getting past Barcelona in the Champions League will see
them hit the next level on their upwards trajectory.
+11
The Manchester City squad trained ahead of their Champions League clash with Barcelona on Tuesday
+11
Angel di Maria and David de Gea visited a school as United enjoyed time off with no European commitments
United,
on the other hand, are facing a fight to avoid a second season without
Champions League football. Currently in fourth, Louis van Gaal's men
have a season-defining run-in with a resurgent Liverpool breathing down
their necks.
The
Dutchman has a track record that cannot be questioned and should be
judged after next season, but at the moment they are lagging behind
their cross-town rivals.
OVERALL HISTORY
Not even a contest. United's haul of trophies and City's barren decades make for some lopsided scorelines.
Top flight titles? 20 to four. European Cups? Three to none. FA Cups? 11 to five.
But
as Manchester's The Stone Roses sang 'the past was yours but the
future's mine,' something City fans believe in so firmly they had the
lyrics put on a banner.
+11
Manchester City celebrate winning the Premier League last season - their second title in three years
+11
Manchester United celebrate winning the 2008 Champions League - their third European title overall
TRANSFER MARKET
United's
summer frenzy had many wondering if Dale Winton had gone on location to
film a one-off Supermarket Sweep at Old Trafford. Ed Woodward, keen not
to leave his new manager without stock, waltzed down the transfer
aisle, lobbing the likes of Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria into his
red trolley as the clock ticked towards deadline.
There
will be no repeat this summer with targets already identified and work
underway. This is an approach akin to that now used at City, who these
days tend to do their business quickly and, where possible, under the
radar.
Financial
Fair Play sanctions, which the club still believe were unjustified,
have stopped them from widening the gap even further.
SQUAD
Again,
City have the upper hand. As Van Gaal continues to search for the right
formula City's old guard is again clicking into gear. Pellegrini has
two quality players vying for each position. The spine of his team,
Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Sergio Aguero would appear to be going
nowhere.
+11
City have a strong squad that has been improved over a few seasons, leaving them in second in the league
An
indication of how much things have changed came in the season's first
derby, when City fans drfited away from the Etihad Stadium a little
deflated after a 1-0 win that, only a few years ago, would have been
deliriously received.
TURNOVER
Often
used to measure club size, City turned over a record £347million last
year which they believe will rise again this time around. Executives are
confident that for the first time since their Abu Dhabi takeover, the
club will post a profit.
Commercial income was £166m, by far a club record, and more partnerships have since been announced.
Across
town, however, United remain ahead. Last year, they turned over a
record £433.2m and made a profit of £23.9m. Their commercial intake was
£189.3m.
+11
Radamel Falcao poses outside United's sponsored training ground at Carrington
This
time around the club have forecasted that, thanks mainly to the impact
of no Champions League football, turnover will drop below £400m. It
could mean that, for the first time in living memory, City's turnover is
more than that of their rivals.
That
said, United's record kit deal with adidas and rapidly expanding
commercial machine should see a sharp swelling in the Old Trafford
coffers in 2015-16.
Officials remain relaxed about the large chunk of Glazer debt that remains (£380.5m).
FANBASE
Domestically
and internationally United continue to lead the way. They regularly
attract crowds of 75,000 to Old Trafford - around 30,000 more than City
get at the Etihad Stadium. That gap is expected to narrow when City
complete the first phase of their stadium expansion which will see
capacity rise above 55,000. A recent survey commissioned by City
executives claimed that their global fanbase had expanded at the
astonishing rate of 500% in just three years.
+11
Juan Mata and his team-mates regularly play in front of 75,000 supporters during home games
+11
City have plans in place to expand the capacity of the Etihad Stadium to 55,000
The
same figures claimed the club now had 37.97m followers across the
world. That is dwarfed by the figure United famously use, which states
that the Reds have 659m supporters on the planet.
This
area is hard to measure. Woodward recently pointed out in a call to
investors, however, that four of the top five US TV soccer audiences
were for United matches. City will no doubt take solace that their
recent 1-1 draw with Chelsea attracted 1.34m viewers Stateside, a rise
of 316% from the 324,000 who watched the same fixture in 2010.
INFRASTRUCTURE
It
might not seem like it, with more than £1.15bn spent in six years, but
from the start City's Abu Dhabi ownership wanted to make the club a
sustainable model. A big part of that process was getting the
infrastructure right.
When
the new owners arrived they were stunned to find an ill-equipped
training ground and a Premier League club with no HR department or chief
finance officer. The transformation on the pitch has been mirrored by
that off it. The £200m City Football Academy is one of the finest
facilities in world football while the number of staff at the club
dwarfs what it was just over half a decade ago. Add to that sister clubs
in Melbourne and New York and City appear well-equipped for an assault
on global domination.
+11
United's Carrington training ground, pictured in 2006, is being changed by Van Gaal
+11
An aerial view of the City's new football academy which was launched in December last year
At
the last count, United had a Red Army of 837 full-time staff. Many of
those are based in their Mayfair office. When it comes to capitalising
on the Premier League's global appeal, United are second to none and got
a head start on many of their rivals.
While
Carrington is world class, Van Gaal ordered a number of renovations
shortly after his arrival which should stand them in good stead. The
club's academy continues to churn out footballers but, given the
changing nature of the game, the success of the Class of '92 may never
be repeated.
CONCLUSION
United
remain the biggest club and should do so for the foreseeable future.
That is not to say that the gap has not been substantially narrowed. The
longer City remain the dominant force on the field the more danger
United will find themselves in of one day being overtaken. Many more
seasons without Champions League football could have a dramatic impact.
For
generations, with City a laughing stock, United considered Liverpool
their main rivals. Some will stubbornly say that will never change. It
already has, both on the field and off it.
