This derby, as significant as it is, has always been in the shadow of Manchester United vs. Liverpool. Well at least it used to be.

Since the emergence of Man City and all their money, the Manchester derby has gone from a token match, to a genuine heavyweight encounter. City, like Chelsea before them, have proven that money really does buy success in football.

Since Sir Alex retired back in 2013, it’s been a topsy-turvy few years for The Red Devils. It seems, as part of the post Ferguson recovery scheme, that United have taken a leaf out of City’s book, and have spent, spent and spent some more on players from around Europe.

As a result, what we have is potentially the most expensive Manchester derby in history. Coincidentally it will also be a derby that won’t feature a locally born player or an academy graduate.

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The teams are representative of Manchester, although the players are not, they are bought and traded to play for a brand, and Man United and Man City are two of the biggest in world football.

Of course it is a derby with its own heritage and history, but in recent years, this once noble encounter has been manufactured into a ‘Super Sunday’ clash, to appease not the fans of these two clubs, but the wider audience of the Premier League.

When the Sheikhs invested in City, the commercial benefits of forming an intense rivalry with Man United would have strongly influenced their decision to finance the club. It’s a cynical strategy that contradicts the integrity of the truly great rivalries in English football.

In fact, it’s the sort of thing the MLS would do, as proven by the newly formed New York City FC (owned by Man City), who were created to challenge the already existing New York Red Bulls.

The New York example is not necessarily a fair one; however there is the feeling in Manchester that City and United are evolving from humble football clubs to global juggernauts.

The two Manchester clubs are currently the pace setters in the Premier League, and so they should be, they’ve spent the most money. They are winning the commercial popularity contest and if they continue to occupy the top two places in the Premier League, then the people responsible for turning this match into the battle of the riches, will continue to reap the rewards.

Sadly this is the reality of modern day football, the big matches are those played by the wealthiest teams, who would rather buy the finished article than nurture one of their own.

Man United and Man City are two clubs with a revolving door transfer policy, with ever-changing kits and sponsorship deals; how do they expect their supporters to form a bond with their clubs when the identity of that club is likely to change every season?

I suppose there is always FC United of Manchester, or even Bury for those Mancunians who want to establish a true connection with their team.

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