‘No chance!’ Souness digs out Man Utd star and goes with 11-0 split for FA Cup final combined XI
Ahead of the FA Cup final, Graeme Souness has argued that ‘not a single Manchester United player would get into Manchester City’s starting XI right now’.
Man Utd won the Carabao Cup earlier this season and they are looking to end City’s hopes of winning the treble when they meet in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Man City have already lifted the Premier League and they will face Inter Milan in the Champions League final next weekend.
City are the heavy favourites heading into the Manchester derby at Wembley. Pep Guardiola’s side hammered United 6-3 at the Etihad last November, but Erik ten Hag’s team got revenge in January as they edged out their rivals to win 2-1 at Old Trafford.
Souness has named his combined XI for the FA Cup and he could not find space for any Man Utd players. He also feels that ‘every one of City’s substitutes would strengthen United’s team’.
The pundit picks out Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Marcus Rashford as potential inclusions from Man Utd’s side, but he thinks the English attacker has gone missing during the run-in.
‘I am not saying this for any other reason than I believe it to be true — not a single Manchester United player would get into Manchester City’s starting XI right now. In fact, I will go further, I believe every one of City’s substitutes at Wembley today would strengthen United’s team,’ Souness wrote for The Daily Mail.
‘City have better players in every position — from one to 11 and then beyond. This will not make me very popular in the red half of Manchester, but I have thought long and hard about it.
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‘People may well challenge me and say: ‘What about Bruno Fernandes? What about Marcus Rashford.’ OK, where does Fernandes play? Instead of Ilkay Gundogan? Kevin De Bruyne? No chance.
‘It’s the same with Rashford. He does not get in ahead of Jack Grealish or Bernardo Silva. I’d also have Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden in front of him, and they don’t get in City’s strongest side at the moment.
‘Rashford has scored three Premier League goals since February. This is the business end of the season, your big players should be making a difference.
‘United midfielder Casemiro is a very good player and has done well, but is he better than Rodri? Come on. Again, no chance. There are a handful of United players who would make City’s squad, but nothing more than that.’