3 Reasons why even a Manchester United fan can like the current Manchester City side

Considering I am an ardent supporter of Manchester United and having followed them both in the glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson and the gloomy days since he left the club, you might wonder what prompted me to write an article about the club's arch-rivals.

All of us United faithful envy Manchester City for some reason or the other. We envy their massive success and the amount of silverware they have won in recent years, we envy the superstars they constantly have at their disposal, we envy the masterful tactician Pep Guardiola's beautiful football - the list goes on.

Despite being a United fan all my life, I do admire the way this Manchester City side under Guardiola have gone about their business in recent years. So without further ado, here are the three reasons why I like the current Manchester City side.

#3: Transfer Policy

Bernardo Silva has turned out to be a brilliant signing for the Cityzens

Ever since the club has been injected with money by Sheikh Mansour, there is no denying that Manchester City have been brilliant in their transfer activity. They have constantly acquired the right players in accordance with the philosophy of the manager, which sadly Manchester United have been unable to do in recent years.

They have signed many established superstars like Sergio Aguero, Frank Lampard, Vincent Kompany, Carlos Tevez, Yaya Toure, David Silva and Kyle Walker, to name a few. Meanwhile, they have also bought promising young players and developed them into world class players like Kevin De Bruyne, Pablo Zabaleta, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Aymeric Laporte, Ederson Moraes and so on.

While they do not shy away from spending big bucks, they make sure that the players bought are worth the money and suit the playing style of the manager (poor Mourinho).

#2: Squad Depth

Mahrez was bought in the summer to increase the attacking depth

It is almost unquestionable that Manchester City have squad depth like no other club in Europe. The arrival of Guardiola resulted in an overhaul of the City squad as many quality players were signed while the older players were shown the door. This resulted in a squad which can cope without any player on the pitch in every position.

The attacking unit of the Cityzens boasts of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez. The midfield consists of Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko. The defence includes Vincent Kompany, Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, Nicolas Otamendi, Kyle Walker, Danilo, Benjamin Mendy and Fabian Delph. And finally, they have two quality goalkeepers in Ederson Moraes and Claudio Bravo.

Now, this frightening squad depth is unmatched in all of Europe. It is proof of how wisely this City side has spent.

We Red Devils fans can't do anything but watch this incredible City squad in awe while United keep searching to 'finally find their man', as they have been ever since a certain Portugese left us.

#1 Pep Guardiola

Probably the best manager in the world

Although I might ruffle a few feathers when I say that Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world, deep down everyone knows that that is indeed the truth. The Spaniard achieved unparalleled success at the two European giants, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but there were always critics pointing out that he always had superstar players in relatively easy leagues.

So when he announced that he would take the helm at the blue side of Manchester, everybody thought Guardiola would falter in the toughest league in the world. But it's been almost three seasons since this revolutionary manager came to England, and it will be an understatement to say that he has succeeded.

Although it took him a season to settle to the physical Premier League, Guardiola really came into his own in his second season at Manchester City. In a league where physicality is of prime importance, he instilled that flair of positional play in this City team - and boy did they perform!

This City juggernaut tore apart the so-called 'physical teams' and scored goals for fun while showing the Premier League the football they had never seen. The outcome? City won the league with a whopping 100 points, 19 more than the closest competitor (our club, United).

Critics became admirers of this Pep-lead team, and Guardiola deservedly showed that he is the best manager in the world.

It really saddens a United fan like myself that Guardiola is achieving enormous success with the blue half of Manchester, when even United wanted to appoint him on at least two occasions. What can I say, some things just aren't meant to be.