Manchester United's Attackers Prepare for Manchester Derby

Manchester United brushed Sabah aside in Europe. Now comes the real examination.

A 4-0 cruise in their Champions League opener has given Michael Carrick a welcome jolt of momentum before Sunday’s derby against Manchester City, but it hasn’t solved everything. One win from three in the league means United go into the game playing catch-up. Even a victory at Old Trafford won’t be enough to leapfrog their neighbours.

Carrick knows it.

“Results-wise, it hasn't been the start we wanted, we wanted more points in the league,” he admitted after the Sabah win. The performance soothed a few nerves. The table did not.

Carrick vs Maresca: new chapter in Manchester

The last time these two clubs met, it was Carrick’s first game back in the United dugout. He marked it with a 2-0 win and a sense that something had been reset.

This time, the fresh face is in the opposite technical area.

Enzo Maresca will experience his first Manchester derby as City manager. His last visit to Old Trafford ended in defeat, a 2-1 loss with Chelsea in September 2025, and he returns on the back of a tight European victory over Porto. He knows the stadium, he knows the noise, but not yet this fixture with these stakes.

United arrive with questions to answer. City arrive with points already banked. The margin for error, from a United perspective, is thin.

Rashford’s Barca chapter closes, Gordon takes the seat

One of the biggest stories around Old Trafford this season has been the return of Marcus Rashford from Barcelona. He left Spain with double figures for both goals and assists from last season, a productive loan spell that seemed, at one stage, destined to become permanent.

It didn’t.

Barcelona walked away and turned to another English winger instead: Anthony Gordon. Their sporting director Deco has now laid out why.

“One of the things we saw that was difficult last year was the fact that, when we were without Raphinha, the team's energy seemed to drop,” he told Marca. The club scoured the market.

“We looked at many wingers, but signing players in the Premier League is almost impossible, you see the figures involved.

“He (Gordon) was the profile that best fit. The great advantage is that the players are excited to come to our project.”

Rashford’s numbers in Spain were strong, his reputation intact, but Barca wanted a different type of wide player and a different energy profile. That decision has sent Rashford back into Carrick’s hands at a time when his role in the derby is not guaranteed. The fanfare around his return has been loud. His starting spot on Sunday is anything but certain.

JJ Gabriel’s rise – and the long road to the first team

If Rashford represents the returning star, JJ Gabriel embodies the future.

The teenager lit up pre-season with glimpses of his talent and then underlined it with a hat-trick against Sabah in the UEFA Youth League. The first team, though, still lies just out of reach. For now.

Academy coach Adam Lawrence has sketched out the plan.

“JJ is surrounded by people that really believe in him,” he said. “From the top of the club right the way through. Where he's been at the club for so long, he's got good relationships with the players, with the staff.

“Over the course of time that helps as well. At the moment just in terms of his game, his games programme, his training programme, making sure that he's getting the right exposure across different levels.

“We’re obviously not perfect but it's definitely something we put a lot of thought into. So yeah, it's good to see him just enjoying his football and in a good place for sure.”

United’s 4-0 win over Sabah in Europe showcased the senior forwards. Gabriel’s treble in the youth fixture on the same day reminded everyone that there is serious talent waiting in the queue behind them.

Big decisions before a big derby

All of this feeds into Carrick’s selection puzzle.

There is excitement about Rashford’s second act at Old Trafford. There is a growing buzz around Gabriel. Yet there is also a very real possibility that neither starts against City.

United need points, not sentiment. They face a City side already settled under Maresca, already grinding out European wins, already ahead of them in the league. Carrick’s attackers have made their case in different ways over the past week.

On Sunday, only a few of them will get the chance to make it in the one game that still defines a United season.