“Why Manchester United must beat Manchester City” – Wright-Philips

Former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has billed this weekend’s Manchester derby as a challenge for Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to prove that he can succeed at Old Trafford.

The Norwegian has faced fierce criticisms due to our poor form that has seen us win just three of our last nine games in all competitions, a run which includes humiliating defeats to rivals Liverpool and Leicester.

“It’s definitely more important to him [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer] to win this one. This is the year he’ll be judged as he got all the players he wanted to in pre-season, and he has to start bringing trophies back to the club,” he told William Hill.

“Liverpool were the first club he’d faced in the top four or five this season and they got absolutely steamrollered, so they can’t let that happen against City.

“Other games they should’ve lost they managed to draw, but now everybody is judging him on each game and saying that he needs to be winning them as Man United manager.

“It’s important for the derby, but he needs to show that the team he’s built is capable of winning the Premier League or the Champions League, because they haven’t done that for years.”