Maresca backs Anderson's 'kings of Manchester' dig at United ahead of Old Trafford derby

Enzo Maresca has thrown his support behind Elliot Anderson’s pointed declaration that Manchester City are the ‘kings of Manchester’, saying the midfielder’s comments were entirely understandable given City’s dominance over the past 15 years.

Anderson, 23, made the remark after completing a £116m move to City in the summer — a transfer that came despite Manchester United also pursuing the midfielder. Maresca, speaking ahead of Sunday’s derby at Old Trafford, argued that eight Premier League titles in roughly a decade and a half gave Anderson every reason to see City as the city’s pre-eminent club.

“Probably the reason Elliot said that is that he grew up in the last 15 years when Manchester City was unbelievable with what they achieved,” Maresca said. “So it is normal when Elliot said that. If you go back it is a different picture, but for me the reason Elliot said that was when he grew up Manchester City was dominant.”

Maresca, 46, acknowledged that United held the upper hand in Manchester before City’s rise, but made clear he considered the current balance of power self-evident.

Sunday’s match will be Maresca’s first Manchester derby as City manager. He confirmed that Nico O’Reilly is fit to return, while Jeremy Doku remains sidelined through injury.

City arrive at Old Trafford with a scheduling advantage, having beaten Porto 2-0 on Tuesday, giving them two additional days of recovery compared to United. Ruben Amorim’s side defeated Sabah 4-0 in the Champions League on Thursday, leaving them with a tighter turnaround.

United head coach Michael Carrick described the situation as “not ideal”, but Maresca was measured in his response, pointing to a similar scenario City faced last season when they played Napoli on a Thursday before travelling to Arsenal that Sunday.

“It happened exactly the same last year when the club played Napoli and then after two days played Arsenal,” Maresca said. “Sometimes it happens in football. I don’t have any doubt that Man United are going to be ready for that. You need to adapt. It happened last year with us, this season with them, next season it will happen with a different team.”