£22m Man Utd star set for first start of season v Man City after Dalot's injury

Manchester United take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in Sunday’s Premier League derby.

Ahead of the game, manager Ruben Amorim has revealed that he will be without three players from the 3-2 victory over Burnley before the international break.

Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount and Diogo Dalot have not fully recovered from their injuries and won’t take any part in the Manchester derby at the weekend.

Dalot’s absence could pave the way for Noussair Mazraoui to make his first start of the campaign.

The Morocco international had a disrupted pre-season due to injury, and he only came on as a late substitute during the 3-2 triumph over the Clarets last month.

However, we anticipate the former Bayern Munich star to make the starting line-up against the Cityzens, having had sufficient time to build up his fitness in the last fortnight.

Mazraoui could slot in at either right wing-back or left wing-back based on the manager’s choice to play Amad Diallo or Patrick Dorgu in the starting XI at the Etihad.

Amorim generally prefers to pick an attacking and a defensive-minded wing-back in his XI.

Diallo started at right wing-back in the last game as Dorgu dropped to the bench. It was Dalot who slotted in the left wing-back role ahead of the Dane.

Against Arsenal, it was quite the opposite with Dorgu getting the nod at left wing-back. Dalot was picked in the right wing-back position ahead of Diallo instead.

With Dalot sidelined, Mazraoui could be assigned with a similar job. The £22 million-rated star is strong in one-on-one duels and has the pace to make recoveries and key tackles.

The 27-year-old has also managed to get forward when the opportunity arises. With Dorgu and Diallo being attack-minded, Amorim may want some defensive assurance too.

Hence, Mazraoui looks poised for his first start of the campaign in the Manchester derby.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .