Manchester United pursuit of Frenkie de Jong should send a warning to Man City

Manchester City's two wins against Manchester United last season were arguably the two of the most one-sided Manchester derbies in the fixture's 141-year history.

Barring a 20-minute period at the Etihad Stadium in early March, City utterly dominated their cross-town rivals, reducing the encounters to kickabouts less intense than some of Pep Guardiola's training sessions. The 2-0 triumph at Old Trafford in November was an exercise in patience and control; City didn't afford United even the faintest whiff of being involved in the game.

The 4-1 win at the Etihad saw United attempt to play their own game, but they were swiftly put down by a Kevin De Bruyne masterclass. If the league table hadn't already made it clear, the 180 minutes highlighted the chasm that has opened up between the two sides in recent years. City are a well-run, efficient yet beautiful winning machine, whereas United seem to lurch from one crisis to the next while offering up frankly embarrassing performances.

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The gap could open up even more next season, with Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez adding even more firepower to the Premier League champions. In particular, the signing of the former was one that a few years ago United would have done their best to - and perhaps would have succeeded in doing so - hijack. In today's world, there was simply no question of which Manchester cub the 22-year-old striker would choose.

However, the latest transfer saga to engulf the city should send a warning to the Blues - not least because it involves a player who, in an ideal world, would probably already be playing under Guardiola at City.

After months of rumours linking