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MANCHESTER: Gianluigi Donnarumma could make his debut in the Manchester City net against visiting Manchester United in Sunday’s Manchester Derby.
City (1-2-0, 3 points) completed the move for Donnaruma from Paris Saint- Germain, for a fee reportedly of at least $35 million, just as the primary transfer window closed earlier this month.
He’ll be in an open competition for the No. 1 spot with James Trafford after City sold Ederson to Fenerbahce.
Trafford started City’s first three matches this season, but back-to-back defeats heading into the international window could cause manager Pep Guardiola to change course immediately.
“He’s so tall and so huge. All the keepers want to save balls and give confidence to the team and personality and he’s a big presence on the bigger stages,” Guardiola said. “He did it in the UEFA Champions League last season at Villa Park and Anfield.”
City lost 2-0 at home to Tottenham and 2-1 at Brighton to fall already six points behind reigning champions Liverpool as the early season table shakes out.
Erling Haaland has three goals, and City’s only tally since a 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend.
City also is winless in the last four derbies, earning only a point in the last two league fixtures while also losing the 2024 FA Cup final 2-1 to United and playing to a draw in the 2024 Community Shield.
And it’s the first time in five years that United (1-1-1, 4 points) has entered the Manchester Derby above City in the table, though they haven’t exactly proved convincing in their own start.
“I think we are a better team (compared to last season),” manager Ruben Amorim said. “If you see any aspect, the data, we are a different team. We are ready to play the game but we have to show on Sunday.”
A stoppage-time penalty from Bruno Fernandes — and a disallowed goal for Burnley via semi-automated offside technology — helped United to a 3-2 home win two weekends ago that was its first victory of any sort this season.
That came on the heels of an embarrassing exit to fourth-tier Grimsby Town on penalties in the second round of the EFL Cup.
But Amorim’s group at least is creating chances at a better early clip than last season, even while some of the finishing is left wanting.
To that end, recently acquired striker Matheus Cunha will be among those absent to injury Sunday and unable to score his first EPL goal in a United shirt.

BEIRUT: Iraqi footballer Basil Saad’s death has been confirmed by his club, Naft Al-Basra, which said the midfielder drowned while crossing the Mediterranean in a bid to enter Greece.
News of Saad’s death comes almost a year after Iraqi media reported on the player’s “inexplicable” disappearance.
On Friday his club posted an obituary on social media mourning the player.
The club wrote: “Naft Al-Basra Sports Club and all its staff extend their deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of our former player Basil Saad, who passed away following a tragic drowning incident in Turkiye.”
The 27-year-old footballer was reported to have left Turkiye with 23 other people on a small boat heading toward Greek island of Symi in an attempt to migrate to Europe. There have been no reports on how he reached Turkiye.
According to media reports, the boat stopped close to the island and those on board were told to swim to shore.
Saad is believed to have drowned 50 meters offshore.
His father told Iraqi iNews Channel that his son disappeared on Sept. 20, 2024.
Greek authorities on Friday provided “unclear” photos of a body recovered from the Mediterranean, he added.
The father said that Saad’s family had been notified by Interpol that DNA tests carried out on the body had “a 99.9 percent match.”
“We made DNA tests to confirm if it was him, and the samples matched,” he said.
Saad began his footballing career with Naft Al-Basra, playing in the first team for several seasons before moving to Naft Meesan Club.
He also played for Al-Qaddisiyyah, Al-Bahri, Al-Kahraba, and Samarra.