Former Manchester United chief executive David Gill believes that Manchester City can never match the Red Devils or Liverpool on a global scale, reports the Daily Express.
The FIFA vice-president thinks that however successful the Citizens are, they will never match the pair’s popularity around the world. The Merseyside club’s large number fans in Asia, despite their relatively disappointing last five years, is seen as proof of this.
“I’m not being arrogant here but it will never be as big as Manchester United in Asia and certain markets,” said Gill, “Look at Liverpool, the club haven’t won the league for so many years, but they are very popular in Asia.
“The big teams with history and heritage, like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Real Madrid, have that.”
However, this won’t help either side to match the Sky Blues on the pitch. Manager Manuel Pellegrini has guided his side to five wins from the first five games, putting them four points clear at the top of the Premier League.
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Meanwhile, both United and the Anfield outfit have made shaky starts to the campaign. Both have suffered surprise losses, against Swansea City and West Ham respectively. Louis van Gaal’s team’s win over Liverpool last weekend may point to which one will be able to recover from this though, painting a worrying picture for Brendan Rodgers.