United Team News For The Manchester Derby

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed Antonio Valencia and Ander Herrera are fit and available for Thursday’s derby showdown with Manchester City, but Paul Pogba is set to miss out.

In-form Valencia was rested for Sunday’s 2-0 win at Burnley, where Pogba had to leave the field late on and was replaced by Michael Carrick.

United are a point behind fourth-placed City ahead of the Etihad Stadium encounter and at his pree-match press conference on Wednesday, Mourinho was asked which players were coming back into his side.

“Valencia,” said the boss, who was already without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcos Rojo, Juan Mata, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones through injury. “We go with what we have and we fight with what we have. 

“I trust the boys and we go with everything we have until the last second of the season, we hope. We are fighters, the boys are fighters, and we go.”

When asked if Pogba and Herrera were fit, the manager replied: “Paul, no. Herrera, yes.”

United would go above City in the table for the first time since August with a victory but Mourinho is only concerned with finishing in the top four, not the crosstown rivalry.

“It means nothing,” he said. “If we finish fifth and they finish sixth, it means nothing. If they finish third and we finish fourth, they are above us but it means a lot. 

“This is not about Pep [Guardiola], this is not about City, this is about objectives and we want to try to play Champions League football. We still have two doors open.”