Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes Manchester City are well equipped to challenge Arsenal for the Premier League title this season.
City secured a hard-fought 1-0 win against United on Sunday despite playing with 10 players for most of the match.
The result put Enzo Maresca’s side level on 12 points with the Gunners, and they are the only teams yet to drop a point in the English top flight after four matches. The Cityzens are second due to an inferior goal difference of just one goal.
Gary Neville Highlights Manchester City Summer Business
For Maresca’s debut season at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City spent over £540 million on nine new signings during the summer transfer window.
Neville noted that the Cityzens are well reinforced in every department, with focus on the midfield following the late arrivals of Iliman Ndiaye, Enzo Fernandez and Ayyoub Bouaddi.
New signings Elliot Anderson and Fernandez started in the heart of the midfield for City against United and they made important tackles and interceptions to keep the hosts at bay.
Neville said on Sky Sports' Gary Neville podcast : "There was a point wasn't there probably two or three weeks before the end of the transfer window when Man City didn't have in Bouaddi, Enzo Fernandez and Ndiaye, that you thought they look well short, particularly in midfield. They get those three in late on, which is, you know £250m worth of business, and it's just transformed the look of the team.”
The former England international also emphasised on the need to have the defensive set-up of Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Marc Guehi in top shape for crucial games.
City are unbeaten in their opening four Premier League games and they have only conceded two goals so far in the competition.
"And I think the big thing for City is going to come down to the defence,” Neville continued. “It's going to come down to Dias being fit, it's going to come down to Gvardiol being fit. The experienced players back there and Guehi obviously.
“If you can keep that back four and you've got Khusanov on the bench and Nico O'Reilly, it's a youngish back four as well as some youth in there or younger defenders.
"If you don't pick up injuries Manchester City, they can give Arsenal a real run.
“I still think Arsenal are better but City have improved enormously with the signings that they made and that today was big for Maresca to establish a big game mentality."
WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY
Following the statement win in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford, City will shift their attention to the Carabao Cup where they play host to Championship club Norwich City on Thursday.
They will then welcome Sunderland to the Etihad Stadium for their next Premier League fixture on Sunday, September 20 before the international break.
