Manchester United will hope key pair Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are back for the derby on Saturday.placeholder image
Manchester United will hope key pair Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo are back for the derby on Saturday. | AFP via Getty Images
Michael Carrick will hope to have two key Man Utd players back available this weekend
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick will take charge of the Red Devils for the first time in his second spell in charge on Saturday (12:30pm GMT), as the Red Devils host local rivals Manchester City in a highly anticipated derby.
Perhaps unsurprisingly considering the recent domination of their closest neighbours, United have not had the best of records in Manchester derbies in recent seasons. Picking up just three victories and one draw in the last 10 league encounters with their ‘noisy neighbours’, the Red Devils did earn four points in their two derby matches last term, though, including a 2-1 win at the Etihad thanks to an Amad Diallo winner.
Will Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo be back for the Manchester derby?
Man United will be boosted by the news that key attacking duo Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo will be available for selection on Saturday, after both players returned from international duty at AFCON earlier in the week.
Both Mbeumo’s Cameroon and Diallo’s Ivory Coast sides were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the competition, as the Ivorians were defeated 3-2 by Egypt while Cameroon lost out 2-0 to finalists Morocco and fellow United star Noussair Mazraoui, who will remain in Morocco until after the showpiece against Senegal on Sunday. While a disappointing end to a successful tournament for both Mbeumo and Diallo, their club will be glad to have the pair back available for action in the Manchester derby this weekend.
Amad bagged three goals in the tournament to lead the way for his Ivory Coast side, while Mbeumo registered a solitary assist in Cameroon’s opening game. The two nations faced off in the group stage and drew 1-1, with Amad scoring for the Ivorians.
The pair were spotted in Carrick’s first training session on Wednesday and United’s club website confirmed that the two wingers are both back and will be available to play in the derby. ‘It should boost the attacking options open to Carrick for the 12:30 GMT kick-off,’ reads the club’s statement.
AFCON pair return in major Red Devils boost
With Matheus Cunha likely to feature on the opposite side, the only hope of the trio starting together is likely to be if Bruno Fernandes starts once again in the deep-lying midfield role which led to criticism of his perceived mismanagement by the former United head coach.
Regardless, it will come as a significant boost to have two of United’s most consistent performers back and available for selection. Visitors City are likely to come into the match as marginal favourites despite their run of three successive draws in the league, while Carrick will look to make an impact on his return to the Old Trafford managerial dugout.
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