Of course they are, especially City. Distinct footballing philosophy, modern tactics and they can sell their own narratives handsomely too. "Join us to win a record 4th PL title in a row or to be in the squad that will write history by winning the CL for the first time" sounds more appealing than "come here, we don't know exactly what we're doing but, hey, you could help us figure it out".
But our problem isn't how to sell a good story to up & coming players. We have the prestige and we don't lack the money, after all. And sometimes that's all it takes even if we have to put ridiculous wages on the table (and pay for potential the same money others pay for proven talent or give ludicrous deals to our existing "stars") just to prevent our top talent from seeking greener pastures. Plus, we still haven't reached the point of no return in our downward spiral. People may have stopped considering us serious title contenders but they're still keeping an eye on us to see if "we're finally about to turn a corner". There's still plenty of dynamic left, as a residue of our recent glory days, to make us attractive, especially to English players.
But, let's be honest with ourselves here, OT has been nothing but a footballing graveyard in the post-Ferguson era. It's currently the place where good footballers go to die. And this is sad when you look back at our club's rich history. When was the last time a player came here or rose through the ranks and improved (mentally, tactically & technically)? Pogba, Lukaku, AdM, Miki, Mata, Herrera, Lindelof, Fred... failed to turn them into the spine of a good side. How can we when we don't have a specific role for them? Solid PL players like Shneiderlin, Fellaini, Matic... they become hopeless once they wear the red shirt. As for young talents: Martial? Still trying to figure out his best position. Januzaj? Burnt out with no one to control his ego. Memphis? Had to leave in order to make a fresh start (imagine if he goes to Liverpool and thrives). Shaw? Still waiting for him to be fully fit. Bailly? Can't even get ahead of Jones in the pecking order. Hell, even Falcao left United and he has scored close to 100 goals for club and country in three seasons. Compare that to the time when even the likes of Phil Neville and John O'Shea were vital members of the squad with roles to play. Compare it to the time when United could afford Forlan the time he needed in order to flourish and eventually offer us some great memories. But that was a time when United didn't throw youngsters into the deep-end just to boast about their belief in youth. It was a time when United had a distinct way of playing the game (not innovative, but pretty distinguishable) so the players knew what was expected of them when they got the call from SAF.
So, yeah, City, 'pool, PSG, Spurs are a better proposition than us atm. You are N'dombele and you know exactly what your role will be in Spurs' midfield when Pochettino declares his interest in you. That's far more convincing than a trip to the United museum. We all laugh at PSG's shortcomings in Europe but when you take a closer look, you'll see that they have (or had) a bunch of players (Silva, Marquinhos, Verratti, Motta, Meunier, Cavani, Pastore, Matuidi, Rabiot etc.) who made their name and/or spent their best footballing years in Paris. There are one or two things they're doing right which is something we can't say for ourselves.
The good news is that nothing's set in stone and we still have the time and the money to get it right. Sorry about the rant too, it wasn't directed at you. It's just my opinion that belittling the accomplishments of the clubs without a big history means that we're burying our heads in the sand.
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