Royle told TalkSport: “I thought City were close to United [on Saturday] and it’s a long, long time since that’s been the case.
“They are now going to be seriously competitive. You look at the options and the squad they’ve got and the time is almost here.
“City are almost there. They look very, very powerful, they’re big and strong. I think Saturday’s defeat probably rubber-stamped it that they won’t catch United this season, but next year they’re going to be a big danger.”
