Pep Guardiola admitted he does not know which XI he will pick for Sunday’s Manchester derby, with just three fit defenders available.
The injuries to John Stones, Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji were compounded by Rico Lewis’ red card last week at Crystal Palace, meaning the only senior defenders available to Guardiola are Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol.
"I don't know what I have to do. I need players. We have three and we will see what happens today and tomorrow," Guardiola said in Friday’s press conference.
"Maybe some winger has to play as a full-back or Matheus [Nunes] can play as a full-back, or maybe can play five at the back with wing-backs as wingers. We are thinking what to do with a situation with just three central defenders.
"The soul and spirit of this team is there,” he added. “We are sad for the players because the way they run and fight with their circumstances.”
As mentioned by the City boss, Nunes is an orthodox option in the full-back positions, Bernardo Silva has played at left-back before, while Jack Grealish has also played deeper in recent weeks. Another option for Guardiola is to give more minutes to Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, although starting the inexperienced youngster in a game of such magnitude is a risk.
Elsewhere, it’s not clear if Phil Foden or Mateo Kovacic will be fit to play after both were unused substitutes in the midweek loss to Juventus.
With all this in mind, here’s the XI we think Guardiola will select against Manchester United…
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9. RW: Jeremy Doku
Has shown promising glimpses in recent games without providing decisive moments, something the winger must address.
10. ST: Erling Haaland
Earned praise from Guardiola once again in the pre-match press conference for his dedication and commitment. But it's goals Haaland wants, and he's scored in each of his previous two Manchester derbies at the Etihad.
11. LW: Jack Grealish
Was poor against Juventus in a central role and could revert to a starting berth out left for the derby.