Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United find themselves in a purple patch heading into this season’s first Manchester derby, but fresh injury concerns may hamper the Dutchman’s preparations.
Under fire centre-back Harry Maguire limped off with a hamstring injury during his calamitous England performance against Germany, and the United faithful will be breathing a sigh of relief after Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez made it through the international period unscathed.
United’s attack however is the main cause for concern, with Marcus Rashford still a major doubt after skipping training this week, so he is facing a race against time to prove his fitness.
Fully focused 👊#MUFC || #MCIMUN pic.twitter.com/LdnOMPVqEx
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 27, 2022
Elsewhere, the latest casualty to join the list is Anthony Martial, who may well have deputised in Rashford’s stead.
The Frenchman’s achilles problem is proving to be a dark cloud that won’t shift, and he was left out of the squad who travelled to Moldova in the Europa League. It looks as if the derby may come too soon as he was not pictured in training either.
Donny Van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also remain doubtful for this clash, although they likely would not have featured in Ten Hag’s game plan.
As for the blue half of Manchester, Pep Guardiola be vying to remain one of three teams yet to be beaten this campaign. The Spaniard is without centre-back duo Aymeric Laporte and John Stones, while Kalvin Phillips remains sidelined with a long-term shoulder injury.
Manchester Derby Predicted Line-Ups
Man United: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen, Antony, Fernandes, Sancho; Ronaldo.
Man City: Ederson; Walker, Ake, Dias, Cancelo; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Foden.
In preparation for what promised to be an explosive Manchester derby, take a look at our guide to the best football betting sites.
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