Manchester United’s rivalry with Manchester City may be fairly new from a competitive standpoint, but the presence of the two clubs in a city has always ignited the fire.
Man City’s emergence as a genuine force on the world football scene has only stoked the flames of that rivalry, which Ruben Amorim will get his first taste of.
The Man Utd manager has been on both sides of the Portuguese derby, playing for SL Benfica and managing Sporting Lisbon so this will be quite different.
Someone for whom it won’t be different, and actually the most close to home are the local players, like Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden, or Rico Lewis.
Kobbie Mainoo throws the gauntlet at Man City
Mainoo has made something of a habit of turning up against the neighbours and the brighter the stage, the better is his performance.
His virtuoso display in the FA Cup final to salvage United’s season last year while being a teenager is the stuff of legends and rightly so.
As a local player who came through the ranks, he might end up being the only representative of that flavour for this particular derby.
Marcus Rashford is struggling and may start this one on the bench, Phil Foden is struggling with his fitness while Rico Lewis’ suspension is a huge boost for United.
Ahead of the game, Mainoo refused to shy away from the stakes of this game and instead of the usual “like any other game” routine answer, raised the stakes.
He said: “Growing up, there’s always arguments over the dinner table about who’s going to win on the weekend. This fixture definitely hits home.
“And I’ve got mates who are City fans so it’s always personal when we play against them. I think there were maybe two or three Reds in my class in school and the rest were Blues so it was always interesting at lunchtime!
“If you’re a United fan you can’t change that so you gotta stick by your club!”
Ruben Amorim can unleash Kobbie Mainoo vs Man City
Several players have improved under the coaching of Ruben Amorim already but Mainoo stands out as arguably the one with most potential who’s yet to crack it under the new manager.
He was returning from an injury when Amorim arrived so that slowed down his adaptation period of settling into a new system and role.
Since then, he has made two starts, with one of those coming in the 2-3 loss at home to Nottingham Forest.
Mainoo has struggled to find his groove under Amorim so far but against an opposition he likes to turn up, in a system that is forever becoming more fluid with every game, the chance is there.
If Amorim unleashes Mainoo for this game and the player repays his trust, then perhaps the manager can become the first one post-Sir Alex Ferguson to win his first Manchester Derby in charge.
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