Manchester United take on Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

Ralf Rangnick could reap the rewards of taking a leaf from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s book when Manchester United face bitter rivals Manchester City on away turf this weekend.

Solskjaer boasts a strong record against City with four wins from his last eight meetings with Pep Guardiola on the touchline.

Manchester United beat Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium last season thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Luke Shaw.

Solskjaer revealed after the full-time whistle the secret to beating Manchester City.

“We went back to being a little bit what we wanted to be and that’s being direct,” said Solskjaer when quizzed on the factors that shaped United’s win over City.

“We have to be positive, we’re a positive team,” he added. “We want to play at a high tempo, but we have to defend well, you have to defend to attack the spaces that appear.

“There has to be a collective, no team in world football has a chance against them [City] without being a collective, hungry team who knows you have to defend well but also be positive on the ball.”

It remains to be seen whether Rangnick will be able to emulate Solskjaer’s no-nonsense approach to playing against City when United lock horns with their cross-city rivals on Sunday afternoon.