Amorim must release the Manchester United sensation who would enter the Man City team

Reuben Amorim will get his first taste of the local derby as Manchester United boss this afternoon, when his side head to the Etihad to face Manchester City.

The Red Devils come into the game on the back of a 2-1 Europa League win against Viktoria Plzen, but it’s their Premier League a shape that caught the eye for the wrong reasons.

His side lost both of his last two matches in England’s top flight, desperate to end such a run against their noisy neighbors and claim bragging rights.

However, United have lost all of their last three times to face Pep Guardiola and Amorim will be looking to make an immediate impact in the Manchester derby.

If he does that this afternoon, he looks set to be without a number of key first-team members, which will only make the task of grabbing all three points a bit more difficult.

Manchester United injury concerns ahead of Man City clash

Experienced centre-back Jonny Evans has played a minor role since his return to Old Trafford last season, often covering the back during defensive crunches.

However, after made six league appearances to date, the 36-year-old looks set to miss another match after picking up a knock in Amorim’s opening game against Ipswich Town last month.

The backline could remain the same as it was on Thursday night, when Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez and Nussair Mazraoui faced the task of keeping Erling Haaland quiet.

After a torrid injury spell, Luke Shaw has suffered another setback, with the latest hamstring injury ruling him out of this afternoon’s clash at the Etihad.

The 29-year-old just made it two league appearances to date, with a total of 68 minutes – highlighting his recent struggles at the Theater of Dreams.

However, if the new manager is to taste success against their local rivals, he must start the player in his natural role after dropping him to a slightly deeper role in the Czech Republic.

A player who would make the Man City team

Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes has often been the main creative star for the Red Devils over the last few years, producing incredible numbers in the process.

The 30-year-old is registered eight combined goals and assists in his 15 league starts this year, most of which have come in his more natural attacking midfield role.

However, he has operated a bit deeper alongside Casemiro in the heart of midfield, but if Amorim is to give himself the best possible chance of causing an upset – he needs to get the former Sporting CP star back into his more natural role.

“sensational” midfielder, as dubbed by the legendary Paul Scholes, would walk into the City squad, adding the creativity that Guardiola’s men have desperately lacked in recent weeks – as their numbers show only five goals scored in four matches.

When you compare his numbers with Kevin de Bruyne during the 2024/25 season, he is registered more goal contributionswith age certainly catching up with the Belgian over the past few months.

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese star would slot right into City’s squad as a prolific scorer and goal creator, with Haaland being the only player with more contributions than him.

Fernandes has so often been the man to pull United out of trouble in recent years, holding the keys to a potential victory at the Etihad for the first time since 2021.

Local derbies always tend to spring a surprise, and Amorim is hoping that adage could come true by the final whistle later this evening – potentially as a catalyst for his tenure at the club.