Manchester United and Arsenal would struggle to finish above Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, says Hoops legend Chris Sutton.
A former frontman at Parkhead has shared that opinion after witnessing a rather drab Premier League affair on Monday.
Two supposedly heavyweight outfits locked horns at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils playing host to the Gunners.
Old adversaries delivered little quality on a sodden night in Manchester , with it suggested that their performance would put them behind the Old Firm in Scotland.
Sutton delivered that assessment on social media after initially posting: “Premier League football at its very best…”
That sarcastic jibe attracted a flurry of replies, but the ex-Celtic striker was not done there.
It was put to him that for all of the apparent failings of United and Arsenal, they would still prove too strong for the established elite north of the border.
Sutton was quick to play such a suggestion down, saying the Red Devils and Gunners “would struggle to finish in Scottish Prem top 2 on that showing”.
Again, a man who tasted Premier League title glory with Blackburn in 1995 got a mixed response to his take on fallen giants in England.
It is, however, widely accepted that United and Arsenal face a long road back to the domestic and European stages they were once so accustomed to gracing.
Red Devils icon Roy Keane has conceded as much, with the Irishman suggesting that a top-six finish may represent the height of ambition for two sides that once targeted nothing less than title glory .
He told Sky Sports when asked if United and Arsenal looked like serious contenders for Champions League qualification: "On that performance? No.
"I think they'll improve and probably invest in January, whether there's top players available... Teams like West Ham, if there's ever a chance of getting in the top four this season is it. Top-six for Manchester United should be OK but that won't satisfy these clubs with the money they've spent. It's got to be top four."
The respective sides of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Unai Emery, who are having to make do with second-tier continental competition this season, will be back in action on Thursday night when their Europa League group-stage campaigns continue.