Manchester City are now “miles better” than arch-rivals United, says Phil Neville, with those at Old Trafford lacking the stability that has been established at the Etihad Stadium.
During the time of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Red Devils ruled the roost in England and across Europe.
A dominant force collected 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns, along with a number of other major honours.
United have, however, endured a humbling fall from grace since bidding farewell to an iconic coach in the summer of 2013.
While they have faltered, noisy neighbours have flourished, with Pep Guardiola having turned City into domestic treble winners and a force to be reckoned with.
Neville concedes that there has been a noticeable power shift that United may struggle to reverse, with the former Red Devils star telling The Offside Rule Exclusives: “Over the last five years, you've seen a team that's gone away from the vision and philosophy of what the club is all about.
“When you look at City, Liverpool and Tottenham, their club's foundations are really strong - and you'd say United's are from a financial point of view. But stability on the field?
“If you look at those teams [City, Liverpool, Spurs], they have a system and a style of play and a tried and trusted method, whereas United seem to be going left and right from manager to manager.
“They need to get back to what United do best, which is playing a certain brand of football which hasn't just been synonymous with Sir Alex Ferguson, it's from the year dot, Sir Matt [Busby], Ron Atkinson...
“You hope with Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], Mick Phelan, Michael Carrick and Nicky Butt [in the academy] that United will start getting back to the foundations.
“I think it will take a long time - it's not a quick fix - but hopefully with those guys in charge and the financial muscle United have still got, they can get back challenging soon because it's difficult watching Man City win everything.
“It's difficult because you think they're miles better than United at this moment in time.”
United ended the 2018-19 campaign empty-handed and with a sixth-place finish condemning them to another season without Champions League football.
In contrast, City swept to the Premier League title, while also adding FA Cup and Carabao Cup triumphs to an enviable roll of honour.