Manchester United and Manchester City are both dealing with a number of injury concerns ahead of the Manchester derby on Sunday, with several players set to miss the game
Bruno Fernandes and Nico O'Reilly
Man United will host Man City at Old Trafford
View Image
Michael Carrick is dealing with a number of injury concerns ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby against Manchester City at Old Trafford (4:30pm BST). It's the first meeting between the sides this season, with City arriving unbeaten.
The occasion is a notable one for Carrick, who reaches eight months in charge and revisits the fixture that effectively set him on the path to becoming United's permanent head coach. His team approach the derby after a 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah and a 2-2 Premier League draw at Everton.
"We just gave him an extra recovery day today," Carrick said in his press conference. "We'll see by tomorrow [Friday] how he is, but it's not an ongoing thing or part of a plan.
"It was simply off the back of the game the other day. Each individual has different little things we manage, and Luke was one of them today."
De Ligt has been absent since late November and, having gone under the knife for back surgery in May, United are taking a cautious approach to his comeback.
"It's positive. Matta has trained really well," Carrick added. "When you're out for such a long period and you get to the final stages, you push and push, and you've got to manage that last step. It's important.
"We've got to get that balance right. He's on a good track, in a good place, and it's great to have him back around us - hopefully it'll be sometime soon."
Elsewhere, Maresca will once again be deprived of Doku's services, while Nico O'Reilly, who withdrew from the Coventry warm-up last week, has been declared "100% available".
Doku has been sidelined since the Community Shield after experiencing calf tightness during the first half against Arsenal. While the problem was not considered serious, it has nonetheless ruled him out of the first four fixtures of the campaign, with Maresca confirming he 'needs more days.'