Gary Neville, a Manchester United legend, has provided his ideal starting XI for the upcoming derby match against Manchester City, a lineup that notably features Marcus Rashford. The former defender shared his selection advice for manager Michael Carrick ahead of the Old Trafford contest on Sunday.
Manchester United are set to host their city rivals, with Carrick aiming to replicate the success of their previous 2-0 victory over Pep Guardiola's team in January. However, City, now managed by Enzo Maresca, have commenced the Premier League season with a perfect record, sitting atop the table alongside defending champions Arsenal. In contrast, United have experienced a less consistent start, having dropped points against newly promoted Hull City and Everton.
Neville's proposed formation is a 4-2-3-1, with Senne Lammens in goal. The defense consists of Diogo Dalot at right-back, Luke Shaw at left-back, and a center-back pairing of Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez. In midfield, Neville has selected Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo as the holding midfielders. The attacking quartet includes Bryan Mbeumo on the right wing, Bruno Fernandes in the attacking midfield role, Marcus Rashford on the left wing, and Matheus Cunha as the central striker.
Neville commented on Rashford's inclusion, stating that the club had been "banking on selling" him this summer. He elaborated on the club's transfer market expectations, suggesting that sales that did not materialize left them without expected funds. "Manchester United banked on sales that never materialised in the transfer market," Neville said. "It is a big point on the selling side, because they wouldn't have expected Marcus Rashford to be back, and Manuel Ugarte got injured. They would have expected Joshua Zirkzee to leave for maybe 10, 15 or 20 million pounds, so they were banking on bringing in that 50, 60 million [pounds], and they didn't bring any of that money in."
The former player also addressed potential future team selections, particularly with the expected return of new signing Carlos Baleba, who cost £70 million. Neville suggested that Carrick might need to adjust the team's shape to become more solid defensively. "The only thing I can see happening eventually is that we'll have to drop one of that front four and play three in midfield," he noted. "Maybe Youri Tielemans, Carlos Beleba and Kobbie Mainoo, adding an extra midfield player. That means sometimes Bruno has to go to the side, which isn't ideal because I think he's better in that number ten spot. But how do we [Manchester United], without changing shape, become more solid so we don't concede every single game? Because if we carry on conceding like this, we won't be in the Champions League. We have to stop conceding goals."