Every player out of Man City clash

Ruben Amorim is preparing for his first experience of the Manchester derby just a month into the job.

While Amorim can’t yet have grasped the intensity of this fixture, he has caught a first-hand glimpse of Manchester City’s demise. The Portuguese coach led Sporting CP to an emphatic 4-1 victory over Pep Guardiola’s side before he took the United job.

City’s slide has proven to be no blip, but you know what they say about form when a derby rolls around…

United are very much a work in progress with Amorim at the helm, and Sunday’s result certainly won’t define the new manager’s reign. However, a huge win in the derby will go a long way to ensuring the entire fanbase are on board following a period of tumult.

We cannot project the outcome of what appears to be an unpredictable fixture on paper, but we do know that United have very few injury concerns. There’s been a considerable U-turn on that front since Amorim took over.

Here are the latest Man Utd injury updates.

Victor Lindelof was back in the matchday squad in Plzen on Thursday having been out of action since the November international break. The Swede didn’t appear off the bench, however.

Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro have also returned from injury-enforced absences in recent weeks. Both are in contention to start in the derby.

Jonny Evans was included in Amorim’s maiden United starting XI at Ipswich Town on 24 November but hasn’t featured for the Red Devils since due to an unspecified injury. The veteran defender was back in training ahead of the trip to Viktoria Plzen but didn’t travel to Czechia.

With United now healthy in defence, Evans is unlikely to get much of a look in. Even if he is fit and available, the Northern Irishman may not be included in Sunday’s squad.

Moreover, United are also without Luke Shaw due to a hamstring injury. The left-back had made three consecutive appearances off the bench at the start of the new manager’s reign having missed much of 2024 due to a calf injury. Shaw may not feature again until 2025.

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