Man Utd v Man City early injury news with 9 out, 1 doubt and 1 potential return at Old Trafford

Manchester United will be out to make it a Manchester derby double on Sunday afternoon when Manchester City visit Old Trafford.

There are 14 points between the sides with the Red Devils languishing in the bottom half after a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night while City have had a disappointing campaign by their standards and are battling to secure a spot in the top four.

Ruben Amorim has already beaten City twice this season, with a 4-1 win in the Champions League while in charge of Sporting CP. He then oversaw a dramatic win at the Etihad Stadium in the first Manchester derby of the season as Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo scored late on for a shock 2-1 win in December.

Man City injury news ahead of Man United clash

Man City will be without some key players against United, with striker Erling Haaland facing five to six weeks out after injuring his ankle against Bournemouth. Rodri remains out after he sustained a serious ACL injury agaisnt Arsenal back in September. He may be back for the Club World Cup as Guardiola said last week: “I don't know [if he will feature at the Club World Cup]... I wish, I hope. He's behaving really well [in training], but competition is different. We have to be sure he's fine... Then [we will see].”

Nathan Ake is also likely to be out for the rest of the domestic season after undergoing surgery. John Stones is another City player currently sidelined and is not due back until the start of May. Manuel Akanji is also out until around the same time after he was injured back in February. City were able to welcome Oscar Bobb back in midweek as they beat Leicester City 2-0 with the player coming off the bench as he officially ended eight months out through injury.

Man United injury news ahead of Man City clash

United also have a number of injury problems heading into Sunday’s derby but they could welcome Luke Shaw back into the matchday squad. He returned to training last week but was left out against Forest in midweek. Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is closing in on a return to action but the clash with City is likely to come too soon, as United cast one eye towards their Europa League round of 16 clash with Lyon on Thursday.

Ayden Heaven is out after picking up an injury against Leicester City before the international break but he could be back inside the next couple of weeks. Amad Diallo was initially ruled out for the season but is now likely to return before the campaign concludes. Jonny Evans has been struggling with a muscle injury for a number of months and has not played since Boxing Day and is unlikely to play a part this weekend. Meanwhile, fellow defender Lisandro Martinez is a long-term absentee after he ruptured his ACL earlier in the year.