Manchester United are in the 'wilderness' after seven defeats in their last nine games following a 2-0 home loss to Manchester City.
The Red Devils were not far off in the first half as they competed with their bitter rivals, only for Pep Guardiola's City team to show their qualities and the gap between the sides in the second half.
Manchester United are now 25 points behind City and their chances of making the Premier League top four have taken another blow.
But the situation it seems is much worse than simply where the club stands in the league table this season and is more about the future and what needs to be done to ensure they can compete for silverware sooner rather than later.
United legend Gary Neville defended his old team when analysing their performance at Old Trafford but did provide some revealing comments on when he realised the side was in trouble.
Former boss Jose Mourinho may have won the Europa League and League Cup during his tenure but failed to win the Premier League title, with Neville identifying that problem as the moment when he realised the Red Devils were in a 'scary' situation.
The Roy Keane transcript every Manchester United fan must read
“When he (Jose) didn’t win the title in his first two seasons that was scary," Neville told Sky Sports.
"When Sir Alex was here, I don’t think anyone thought United would go seven seasons, or whatever without a title. But it’s happening before our eyes and that squad needs serious adaptation before they can get anywhere near the level of the City squad.
"But Pep and Klopp won’t be there forever. And things will change. United must be ready to pounce at that point."
