Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes that Manchester United have drastically improved under Erik ten Hag.
The Reds are currently preparing for the Manchester derby after qualifying for the Carabao Cup semi-finals. Manchester City were unable to do that after losing their quarter-final tie against Southampton on Wednesday night.
However, United will not want a repeat of the Manchester derby that took place at The Etihad earlier this season. Pep Guardiola’s side won 6-3 in a battle that saw the Reds appear extremely passive.
Following their shock defeat against Southampton, City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan made it clear he wanted to turn his attention towards the derby. The 32-year-old has been impressed by Ten Hag after seeing the Dutchman turn things around after a tough start to the season.
Speaking to City’s official website, the Germany international said: “It’s never easy for the confidence to lose a game before such a big derby.
“We go to Old Trafford, we know we’ve done well there in recent years.
“It feels like this United side is probably stronger than ever, or especially in the recent past.
“They are full of confidence, they will play good football and we will need a much better performance than today.”
Ten Hag will be looking for his first win over Guardiola, who he worked with at Bayern Munich, and he will be aware of the fact City have won the last three derbies.
A win for United on Saturday would see us move one point behind City in the Premier League table.
