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Pogba misses Manchester derby with injury

Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Manchester United will face Manchester City without talisman Paul Pogba, who suffered an injury in the lead-up to the derby.

Romelu Lukaku - who missed the midweek Champions League match at Juventus because of a muscular issue - and Alexis Sanchez each had to settle for places on the bench.

"Paul is injured. He was injured during the game in Turin. He resisted. He felt that he could resist. He felt that it was such a crucial match for the team. He made that sacrifice for us, and then it was impossible for him to recover for this match," United manager Jose Mourinho said.

"He is a very important player for us. People sometimes like to focus on the little problems in his performance, and we do the same. We try to make him the complete player. But his qualities are so, so good, and so important for the team at many different levels."

Meanwhile, Riyad Mahrez won the right to start ahead of Leroy Sane for City.

Pogba missed training Friday despite playing the full 90 minutes in United's 2-1 comeback win over Juventus.

The unexpected setback forced Mourinho to summon handyman Marouane Fellaini in midfield. The angular Belgian international started only five of United's matches prior to Sunday's colossal contest.

Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial all received the nods up front.

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