Man City vs Man Utd: the 8 injury worries heading into Manchester derby

Manchester City and Manchester United meet on Sunday as the Premier League returns following the recent international break.

It’s the first fixture of what is set to be an action-packed schedule for both sides between now and the World Cup in late November.

But Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag will approach Sunday’s game with several injury concerns, with the latest round of international fixtures serving up some new issues.

On the other hand, Kyle Walker was back in action for England, meaning he is expected to be fully fit, while the likes of David de Gea and Jadon Sancho should be relatively fresh after remaining at Carrington over the break.

Below we’ve rounded up the latest on both City and United’s injury concerns as the derby looms ever closer…

Martin Dubravka

Withdrew early from international duty due to injury and was not pictured in the last batch of United training images, which featured photos of four United goalkeepers in action.

Aymeric Laporte

Guardiola said earlier this month that Laporte could be available again after the international break, and he was back in full-contact training prior to the brief pause in the club season.

Anthony Martial

Has only played 45 minutes for United this campaign and is currently suffering from an Achilles issue. There has been no update over the international break, with the forward a major doubt for the derby.

Harry Maguire

Was filmed limping after the England match on Monday, and was evidently in pain during the latter stages of the 3-3 draw with Germany. Meanwhile, the Daily Star are reporting Maguire is set to miss two weeks due to injury.

Kavin Phillips

Guardiola said prior to the international break that the summer signing was expected to undergo surgery on a recurring shoulder issue. There’s been no official update since then, although The Sun’s Martin Blackburn has reported the operation has taken place. Regardless, Phillips won’t be involved at the Etihad this weekend.

Marcus Rashford

The forward has missed the last two United games due to injury and was also left out of the recent England squad as a result. However, The Sun claim Rashford is ‘winning his battle to be fit’ and is back in training.

John Stones

Like Maguire, the City centre-back suffered an injury while representing England on Monday and appeared to hold his hamstring. He was replaced by Walker in the first half and is not expected to play on Sunday.

Donny van de Beek

Missed United’s last three due to injury and wasn’t spotted in the club’s latest training images. The midfielder is unlikely to be selected in the starting line-up even if he is fully fit.