Erik ten Hag makes bold Man United claim about Man City gap after latest derby defeat

Man United boss Erik ten Hag doesn't think there's a huge gap between his team and rivals Manchester City after another loss against Man City at the Etihad Stadium.

Despite leading the match initially, United were defeated 3-1 by Pep Guardiola's team, their 11th defeat in the league this season, leaving them in sixth place, behind City who are chasing their fourth title in a row. For a whole decade, United have fallen short of challenging for the top position. Ten Hag has to accept that he's lost four out of five matches against the defending champions. Even with heavy losses such as a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford or a severe 6-3 trouncing last season, he still believes the difference between the two teams isn't as big as it seems.

When asked about the gap between Man Utd and City following the defeat, Ten Hag said: "No I don't think so, absolutely not. We have many problems now in injuries and still we had an opportunity. A very small margin. We could have scored the second goal. We could have scored the second goal in a debatable moment and in the second debatable moment."

Erik added: "You see it is not that big. When we have everyone on board we can be really competitive and also we showed for instance in the FA Cup final against them when it can be really close. But don't forget this, City is, at the moment the best team in the world."

Erik ten Hag is under increasing scrutiny at Manchester United as the Red Devils continue to trail behid their city rivals. Despite delivering the Carabao Cup last season, ten Hag has failed to bring the club closer to City since taking over the reins at Old Trafford.

Unfortunately for United fans, they are currently sitting 11 points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, leaving another