Pep Guardiola aims "monstrous dig" at Man Utd as Gary Neville highlights big issue

Pep Guardiola has highlighted a big reason for City’s recent dominance in Manchester - and it doesn’t reflect well on United. 

Erling Haaland scored twice and laid on a third for Phil Foden as the visitors ran out dominant 3-0 winners at Old Trafford on Sunday. It continued City’s fine run over their neighbours and underlined the gulf in class between the two sides and the differing directions of the clubs as things stand. 

As United’s takeover issues drag on, Guardiola pointed to a harmonious picture behind the scenes at the Etihad Stadium as one of the major factors in City’s rise to the top of the European game. 

“I said many times we are in the same direction, chairman, CEO, sport director, manager and the players,” he said. “Wrong or right, we go there. We make mistakes of course but when we lose or things are not going well we are not here to blame someone, we just see what we have to do to be better.  We find a solution. That's why I think the club is so stable.”

The point was not lost on United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville who posted on X: “That quote from Pep Guardiola is a monstrous dig into the running of United!” 

Guardiola however admitted on his arrival at the club in 2016 he did not expect to see such a turning of the tide in Manchester. 

“I know what we have done,” he said. “I don’t know what United have done because I'm not there. But I didn't expect it because when I arrived here with Mourinho, there was Ibrahimovic, Lukaku - top top players.”