Amorim names team for derby day

Ruben Amorim has named his first Manchester derby XI, as United take on City at the Etihad Stadium.

The Reds are looking for a boost after successive defeats in the Premier League, to Everton and Nottingham Forest, but picked up a valuable away victory in the Europa League on Thursday, against Viktoria Plzen.

City have a formidable home record but suffered a shocking 4-0 loss to Spurs recently, and it will be interesting to see how things pan out in the 16:30 GMT kick-off.

Mason Mount is rewarded for a bright cameo in the Czech Republic with a start and Amad looks set to continue in a more advanced role, with Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot likely to feature as wing-backs.

Harry Maguire is named in defence and Rasmus Hojlund, two-goal hero on Thursday, comes into the line-up.

Manuel Ugarte will be asked to provide energy and bite in midfield, alongside skipper Bruno Fernandes.

Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford are not among the substitutes but there is still plenty of experience to call upon.

When pushed on the composition of his squad by Sky Sports, the boss replied: “Selection. We try to evaluate everything – training performance, game performance, engagement with the team-mates, push the team-mates up. Everything is on the line when we’re analysing and trying to choose the players. So it was my selection, simple.

“I don’t want to send a message. It’s simply evaluation. They know – the players are really, really smart. Everyone understands my decision. I have to choose. It’s simple selection.

“Of course, the context is difficult. We have to win games. We have a situation now but, like I said, I pay attention to everything. The way you eat, put your clothes to go to the game, everything. I make my evaluation and then they have to decide. We have a lot of players to choose today and I made my choice.

“It’s the same all the time [how the team is released]. There is communication after the last training session, then going to WhatsApp to receive the information. They have training this morning. I was there and it’s important for every player, even Jonny Evans and Toby Collyer were there. During training, everything was okay and they trained really well.”

Here for the derby Video

Here for the derby

Watch the Reds arrive at the Etihad Stadium, ahead of this afternoon’s crunch match…

THE TEAMS

City: Ederson; Gvardiol, Dias, Walker; Doku, Gundogan, Bernardo, Nunes; Foden, De Bruyne; Haaland.

Substitutes: Ortega, Simpson-Pusey, Stones, Kovacic, Grealish, O’Reilly, McAtee, Mubama, Savinho.

United: Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes (c), Dalot; Amad, Mount; Hojlund. 

Substitutes: Bayindir, Lindelof, Malacia, Yoro, Casemiro, Eriksen, Mainoo, Antony, Zirkzee.

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