MANCHESTER — Manchester City's £116m summer signing Elliot Anderson has branded his new club the "Kings of Manchester" heading into Sunday's derby at Old Trafford, where Manchester United host their local rivals with kick-off at 4.30pm live on Sky Sports from 4pm.
Anderson made the claim in an interview with Manchester City's official club website, saying, "It's one of the biggest derbies in the world and for as long as I've known Manchester, City have been the kings of Manchester," and adding, "It'll be a great fixture and I can't wait to be involved in something like that." Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca said the verdict reflects recent history, saying, "Probably the reason why Elliot said that was that he grew up in the last 15 years, Manchester City were unbelievable with what they achieved. It's normal Elliot said that," and noting, "If you go back, then it's a different picture but when he grew up Manchester City were dominant."
Maresca, speaking to Sky Sports, outlined the importance of the fixture, saying, "It's special because it's two teams in the same city. It's special for the fans, the club, for everyone," and adding, "I'm very excited. These are the games I like. These are the games we want. We know it's going to be a tough game. Since Michael [Carrick] took over they're doing a fantastic job. We can show respect in the derby by trying to be ourself and go there to try to win."
Manchester United head coach Michael Carrick, who was a United player when former boss Sir Alex Ferguson labelled City "noisy neighbours" in 2009, said the rivalry has intensified over two decades. "When I first came to the club, to be honest, it wasn't like it is now," Carrick told Sky Sports. "In 20 years, it's kind of grown, it's developed, it's changed a little bit over the years." He pinpointed Vincent Kompany's header in April 2012 as a key moment, saying, "The one where we ended up losing the league, when Kompany scored the header towards the end of the season. We had a bit of a lead and then we lost it, and then we lost it at the end of the season. That felt quite a big moment," and adding, "That's just the one that we lost, so it probably hurts. We always remember those ones the most."
Carrick also recalled United's derby highs, saying, "Probably the [2010 League Cup] semi-final is up there, when we won late and I scored and Wayne [Rooney] scored a header. That was a good day," and citing "Robin [Van Persie] scoring in the last minute [in the Premier League win at the Etihad in December 2012] the last time we won the league" and "When Michael [Owen] scored that one at the Stratford End [in September 2009]." He added, "Wayne's overhead kick in 2011? I forgot about that one! That was a special one." Looking to Sunday, Carrick said, "There were some really good games over the years, hopefully we can come out on top on Sunday."