Chris Sutton believes none of the current Manchester United players are good enough to get into the Man City side and has delivered a withering assessment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side.
The former Chelsea and Celtic striker, turned pundit, gave his damning indictment of the chasm between the teams — who face off at Old Trafford in tonight's Manchester derby — in the wake of United's dire form.
Solskjaer's troops have lost six of their past eight games in all competitions, the club's worse run of form since 1989, while City have won their last 10 successive league matches.
"If you’re asking me how many Manchester United players would get into this Manchester City team, I’d have to say none," Sutton told the Daily Mail .
"They’d even struggle to get a few representatives on the bench."
Man Utd squad vs Man City includes Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial
Solskjaer has called for a big response from his players, with United still fighting to finish in the top four.
And Sutton believes the Reds will need a "total performance" to beat a City outfit looking for three points to restore their position at the Premier League summit, displacing Liverpool.
"So if United are to get a result at Old Trafford, what is required is a total team performance," Sutton added.
"If Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side compete at anywhere near the level they did at Everton, then they could be in for a mauling.
"They can’t go toe to toe. I know some United fans would want that, because that’s what they’ve grown up seeing over the years, but I don’t think they can beat this City team that way. They’re not at that level, either in confidence or ability.
"Naturally there is a great deal of attention on what this game might mean for the title race but United cannot get bogged down by that.
"They have to focus on themselves and their own race for the top four."
