Manchester United's search for a new permanent manager continues.

The Red Devils parted ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last year after an underwhelming campaign despite the return of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ralf Rangnick has taken over on an interim basis, buying United time to get the right man for the job.

TOP STORY - MAN UTD 'SOUND OUT' TEN HAG

Manchester United have "sounded out" Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag through intermediaries with no formal approach yet, claims Sky Sports.

Ten Hag along with current Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino are believed to be the two lead candidates for the top job at Old Trafford.

The report claims the Dutchman would be keen to speak to United if they make a formal approach.

ROUND-UP

- Italian champions Inter are ready to allow Alexis Sanchez to exit the club in mid-year reports Calciomercato. The 33-year-old's contract at San Siro runs until 2023 but Inter are keen to get his hefty wages off their books.

- England international Joe Gomez will seek a move away from Liverpool at the end of this season, claims 90min, as he seeks more regular game-time, having been a bit-part player this term. Leicester City, Tottenham, Newcastle United and West Ham are all interested.

- Brighton and Hove Albion are leading the race to sign Chile international Ben Brereton Diaz from promotion hopefuls Blackburn Rovers, claims TEAMtalk. Crystal Palace, Everton, Leeds United and West Ham are also interested.

- Mundo Deportivo reports that West Ham are interested in signing former Barcelona, Milan and Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu from Udinese.

- Fichajes claims Wolves are in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk's Pedrinho about a move to England, with players from Ukrainian clubs able to seek free transfers.

Paris Saint-Germain's latest quest to win the Champions League was ended by Real Madrid on Wednesday.

The Ligue 1 leaders squandered a 2-0 aggregate lead with just half an hour of the tie remaining, losing 3-1 in the second leg and 3-2 on aggregate thanks to Karim Benzema's hat-trick.

It means head coach Mauricio Pochettino could already be looking ahead to a change of scenery.

TOP STORY – POCHETTINO SET FOR PSG SACK AND COULD TURN TO MAN UTD

Mauricio Pochettino's job is "hanging by a thread" at PSG, according to the Telegraph.

It is claimed the Argentine can expect to leave the club at the end of the season following their Champions League collapse against Real Madrid.

Pochettino has long been linked with the Manchester United manager job and could now start to prepare for the prospect of taking over at Old Trafford.

ROUND-UP

- Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken with agent Jorge Mendes over his future at Manchester United, claims the Sun. Meanwhile, Bild reports the Red Devils are interested in signing Robert Lewandowski.

- Paul Pogba is another who could be leaving Old Trafford this year, but Juventus are not yet certain whether to try to re-sign him on a free transfer or offer a new contract to Paulo Dybala, Tuttosport claims.

- Barcelona are close to concluding an agreement with Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen, according to Sport.

- Arsenal want to sign two new strikers and a midfielder as part of a major squad overhaul, the Standard says. Alexander Isak, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jonathan David and Darwin Nunez are among the forwards being tracked.

- A consortium led by British businessman Nick Candy is working on a £2.5billion bid to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, the Guardian reports.

Antonio Rudiger's future at Chelsea has been the topic of plenty of speculation.

The 29-year-old centre-back has been with the Blues since 2017 when he joined on a five-year deal.

Rudiger is yet to extend his contract with Chelsea, with plenty of interest in the Germany international.

TOP STORY – NEWCASTLE AND MAN UTD IN FOR RUDIGER

Newcastle United are ready to compete in the race to sign Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, claims the Telegraph.

The Germany international has drawn interest from Real Madrid while the Express reports that Manchester United are also considering a move for the defender.

Rudiger's contract with Chelsea expires at the end of this season, although he has not ruled out staying at Stamford Bridge.

ROUND-UP

- The Express claims Harry Kane has informed his Tottenham team-mates that he will remain with the club should they clinch a top-four spot and Champions League football.

- Arsenal may move to re-sign Serge Gnabry from Bayern Munich, who previously spent four years with the Gunners, according to Football.London. Gnabry is valued at €75million (£63m).

- Arsenal, along with Leicester City, have sent scouts to track Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi, according to Nicolo Schira. The Italians are asking for €30m for their club captain, with interest from Napoli and Milan also.

- FootMercato claims Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are considering moves for Manchester City's Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez.

Cristiano Ronaldo's return to Manchester United may be coming to a premature end.

The Portuguese forward has struggled since Ralf Rangnick's arrival as interim manager in December.

United are also battling to finish in the Premier League's top four.

TOP STORY - RONALDO COURTS MOVE TO MESSI'S PSG

FootballTransfers claims that Ronaldo has decided that he will leave Manchester United if they do not qualify for the Champions League, with a move to join Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain on his agenda.

Speculation about Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford ramped up after he missed Sunday's Manchester derby due to a hip flexor injury and flew to Portugal.

The report that claims that Ronaldo returning to Juventus has been ruled out, along with his original Portuguese club Sporting CP, with the five-time Ballon d'Or courting a move to Paris.

ROUND-UP

- Defensa Central reports that Newcastle United have commenced talks with Real Madrid over a move for 31-year-old ex-Chelsea forward Eden Hazard who has had an underwhelming spell with Los Blancos.

- Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has a list of clubs circling for his services with Arsenal, Newcastle and West Ham all interested, according to 90Min.

- The Mail claims that PSG will make a move for Rashford too, should Kylian Mbappe leave the French capital to join Madrid.

- Manchester City and Madrid are in the lead to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Erling Haaland ahead of Bayern Munich and Barcelona claims The Athletic.

- RB Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku is being tracked by Chelsea and Man City according to FootMercato.

Former Manchester United striker Teddy Sheringham has criticised the direction of the Red Devils after their humbling 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

United sit fifth in the Premier League and suffered a big blow in their race for Champions League qualification at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

They failed to register a single shot in the second half and had just eight per cent possession in the last 15 minutes of the game as Pep Guardiola's team toyed with their neighbours.

Reports late on Saturday suggested Cristiano Ronaldo would not feature in the derby clash, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick confirming before kick-off that the Portugal forward was suffering from a hip problem.

Former United captain Roy Keane suggested before the game that Ronaldo's omission may be down to other reasons after being left out for such an important fixture, though Rangnick later denied this.

Sheringham played for United between 1997 and 2001 and played a crucial role in the 1999 Champions League final win against Bayern Munich.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, Sheringham expressed his concern over a lack of direction at Old Trafford.

"I've been on both sides of the situation," he said. "It grinds you down when these teams keep dominating you. When you're playing in a team that's so focused and all rowing in the same way, it's all great.

"When you're playing for a manager that some people are thinking 'He won't be here at the end of the season, I don't really have to try my hardest. He'll be gone, I'll work for the next manager', there's vibes like that you can see all over the pitch. Players are getting left out. 'Is he injured? Is he not?'

"There's just problems at the club, and I think that comes from the leadership in the football club.

"You look at Manchester City. They are being led by a top man that is devoted to Manchester City being better. The best that they can be.

"When you look at Manchester United, they had an interim manager [Ole Gunnar Solskjaer], they sacked him. They get another interim manager in, what's going on at this top football club? What is going on?

"And that filters down. If you're getting someone who's there for the long stay and the desire to make them better, everyone can follow with you.

"But when it's not, it makes it hard for everyone to follow in that same way because it's going to change at the end of the season again we've got to start again with another manager with new ideas again."

Manchester United great Paul Scholes was once again left questioning the club's wisdom in hiring Ralf Rangnick as interim manager after Sunday's 4-1 derby humiliation by Manchester City.

Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez got two goals apiece at the Etihad Stadium, as City restored their lead at the Premier League summit to six points over Liverpool.

United – without Cristiano Ronaldo due to a hip injury – started the game well and were good value for their 22nd-minute equaliser by Jadon Sancho, but thereafter it was one-way traffic as Rangnick suffered only his second Premier League defeat in 14 matches.

Despite that record, Scholes cannot get past Rangnick's lack of recent experience in coaching, having only actually been in charge of a team for two of the previous 10 seasons, instead spending much of his time as a sporting director.

Rangnick was hired as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's replacement at the end of November until the end of the season, at which point he will move into a consultancy role.

The move was initially widely praised as it seemed to suggest United were looking to establish an on-field identity that Rangnick would subsequently be able to influence with big-picture decisions, but Scholes is struggling to see the reasoning behind hiring him as the interim manager.

"What do we expect? We've brought in an interim coach who hasn't coached at an elite team," he told Premier League Productions.

"He hasn't coached a big team, he hasn't coached at a big football club like United where there's so much expected of Manchester United, whoever you're playing against, it doesn't matter. He's never been at a top club. He's coached a club for two years out of the last 10 years.

"How have United behind the scenes come to the conclusion that this man is going to be the right man for six or seven months? It baffles me. The players are lost on the football pitch.

"The first 20 minutes I was surprised, they played really well, they were comfortable on the ball, [Paul] Pogba up front looked alright. His [Rangnick's] subs have worked the last few weeks don't get me wrong, but it was a deflated team.

"As much as you can have a go at United, they were playing against possibly one of the best teams we've seen. In the second half, the players looked lost. They looked like they didn't have a clue what they were doing."

Prior to the weekend, Rangnick had been praised for improving United defensively. Before Sunday's hammering, they had conceded 10 goals in 13 league games under the German, having let in 21 in 12 with Solskjaer at the helm – only Norwich City and Newcastle United (27 each) had worse records at the time of the Norwegian's sacking.

But Scholes believes their change in fortunes at the back is a red herring, and the data seems to back him up to a certain degree.

David de Gea's saves since Rangnick's arrival have accounted for the prevention of six goals the average goalkeeper would not be expected to prevent, second only to Jose Sa (6.1).

Sa (192) is also the only keeper to face more shots than De Gea (180) in that time as well, suggesting United are not much better defensively than before – they are just relying on their goalkeeper's improved form.

"They were lucky it's not five or six. Again the goalkeeper, five or six saves," Scholes continued.

"We spoke before the game saying defensively since Ole's gone [Rangnick]'s shored things up – he hadn't. Never in a million years.

"He's kidding himself if he thinks that. The keeper has stopped him from getting batterings for a long time. [Sunday] was exactly the same."

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea promised to fight to get "the club back to where it deserves to be" after a 4-1 thrashing at Manchester City.

United headed to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday unbeaten in 11 games in normal time across all competitions, while they were also on the longest unbeaten streak in the Premier League (eight games).

But doubles from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez proved decisive as Ralf Rangnick's side came crashing back down to reality, with their only consolation Jadon Sancho's first-half equaliser.

That leaves United a point behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who claimed a 3-2 win at Watford and have played three games fewer than their fellow top-four chasers.

De Gea vowed to battle to return United back to English football's top table after yet another derby-day humbling against Pep Guardiola's Premier League leaders.

"We will, one day, get this club back to where it deserves to be," he posted on Twitter after the game.

"Today was another bad moment in a difficult season but when we still have this shirt to defend we will not give up."

It has been a difficult season for United, who parted ways with club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in late November after a dismal run of form.

Spain goalkeeper De Gea has been a standout performer for a mostly underwhelming United side, but matters could be worse for the Red Devils if it were not for the 31-year-old.

Only a shaky Leeds United (166), Norwich City (156) and Brentford (145) – all relegation battlers – have conceded more shots on target than United in the league this campaign (140).

That has forced De Gea, who has just seven top-flight clean sheets to his name this term, to make a league-leading 104 saves, with Leeds' Illan Meslier his closest company after managing 102 stops.

The excellence of De Gea stands out when compared to other goalkeepers in terms of the differential between expected goals on target conceded and the number of times they have been beaten.

Expected goals (xG) on target conceded – a way of measuring not just the quality of a chance but the quality of the attempt itself – when subtracted from goals against measures a goalkeeper's shot-stopping prowess.

De Gea has prevented 4.21 by that way of comparison, ranking only behind Wolves' Jose Sa (8.44) in the Premier League.

United will be hoping to make amends for their derby-day performance when they host Tottenham next Saturday, before the return leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Atletico Madrid three days later.

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick defended his medical team after Roy Keane questioned Cristiano Ronaldo's absence for Sunday's crushing 4-1 derby defeat to Manchester City.

Reports late on Saturday suggested Ronaldo would not feature at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, with Rangnick confirming before kick-off that the Portugal forward was suffering from a hip problem.

United were also without Edinson Cavani, who was missing for a sixth consecutive game due to injury as they fell to a humiliating loss at neighbours City.

Former United captain Keane, speaking on Sky Sports before the game, suggested Ronaldo's omission may be down to other reasons after being left out for such an important fixture.

Keane insisted the decision did not "add up", with Rangnick citing a hip flexor problem that kept the forward out of training on Friday, and the German responded to the comments after the match.

"I have to believe my medical department," Rangnick told reporters when asked about Keane's thoughts on the Ronaldo situation.

"Our doctor came to see me Friday morning before training and told me that Cristiano could not train because of some problems with his hip flexor and the same was true on Saturday and that's why he couldn't be a part of the squad."

Rangnick appeared frustrated to be without Cavani once more ahead of the clash with Pep Guardiola's side, suggesting the Uruguay international ruled himself out of contention.

After the game, the former RB Leipzig boss again commented on Cavani being ruled out of the derby, insisting he could not make a player feature if they did not feel fit enough.

"What does it help if I tell you it is frustrating? It is just a fact. If players tell the doctor and the medical department they are injured and cannot play, I have to accept it," he added. 

"I cannot force a player to play if he's not available because of an injury."

Pressed for an answer on whether Cavani decides when he is available, Rangnick responded: "Edi trained in the last three days, he trained well but he still felt after those three training sessions yesterday afternoon that he is still not fit to play.

"This is a fact. As a manager, I cannot force a player if he does not feel fit enough or well enough to play.

"We have to be – and I am – happy with the players we have. This is clear. We lost two, if not three strikers since Christmas, everybody knows.

"But this is a fact and we have to deal with it. I am not complaining about that."

The defeat at local rivals City leaves United a point adrift of fourth-placed Arsenal, who were 3-2 victors at Watford earlier in the day and have played three games fewer.

But Rangnick wants to focus on his team's push in the Champions League and hunt for a place in England's top four in the coming weeks, despite continued questions over who will take over at Old Trafford when his short-term contract concludes.

"Look, I'm still the manager of this team for another 10 games in the Premier League and hopefully a few more games in the Champions League," he continued.

"It doesn't make sense now to start speculation about how many players would we need and in what positions, this is my issue.

"Right now it's about preparing the team for the Tottenham game and after that, for a very important game against Atletico [Madrid] in the Champions League."

Roy Keane called for Manchester United to dump their derby flops as he attacked "shameful" effort levels in the 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Along with fellow 1999 treble winners Gary Neville and Peter Schmeichel, Keane said the performance from United was unacceptable at the Etihad Stadium.

Doubles from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez left United to reflect on a wretched afternoon at the home of their neighbours.

A first-half strike from Jadon Sancho had briefly brought United level, as they began the game well enough before fading alarmingly.

Keane said on Sky Sports: "They did give up, and for a player in any game to give up, it's unforgivable really.

"The beauty of top-level sport is there's no hiding place. I know United have done well here the last couple of years. We saw all the United shortcomings today.

"There's ways to lose football matches. We've all lost football matches. But the way United lost it today, they stopped running, they gave up. There are players not running back, that's what I don't understand."

Ralf Rangnick, the interim manager, had led United on an eight-game unbeaten run in the Premier League before this crushing blow.

"The manager will be criticised, and the tactics," said Keane. "But players not running back when you're playing for Man United, it's really unacceptable, it really is. They threw the towel in, which is shameful.

"It's hard when you're out there and you're up against a really good team and they're keeping the ball and you can't get it back, but I go back to it, we see some of the goals and you've got to run back, you've got to tackle.

"United players have shown quality over the years but we've just seen a reflection of where the team is and where the club is. It's just so far behind the other teams."

Sunday's results saw United slip to fifth, as Arsenal went above them with a 3-2 win at Watford earlier in the day.

Keane suspects there is more to United's troubles than may meet the eye, casting a degree of doubt before kick-off on the reason for Cristiano Ronaldo's absence, which was put down to a hip problem.

But he sees no excuse for United's players letting their focus drift.

"Whatever's gone in the dressing room, and we hear noises all the time, and we hear about problems obviously with the new manager maybe coming in, and recruitment," he said.

"But your own bit of pride eventually has to kick in at some stage. There were five or six players who should never play for Manchester United again. Just shameful, shameful that you can't run back and put your body on the line.

"I thought City had a couple of gears to go. They toyed with them. They [United] gave up, and shame on them."

Schmeichel, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, felt United were ripe for being picked off and need to look at themselves.

The former goalkeeper said: "I thought Rangnick should have changed things at half-time. He may have had words, but the second half was worse; at no point were United in the game apart from on the scoreline.

"Far too many players are either not good enough, or don't care enough. Having an interim manager means he can't do much; he knows he's not going to be there, so what can he change?

"There are players whose contracts are running down. [Paul] Pogba started the game, big question marks over whether he's going to stay. [Substitute Jesse] Lingard has said he doesn't want to be there. But for all that, Man City showed, in difficult circumstances, that they are the best in the country."

Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick acknowledged "there is a gap between the two teams" after suffering a 4-1 thrashing at local rivals Manchester City.

United headed to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday unbeaten in 11 games in normal time across all competitions, but came unstuck against Pep Guardiola's Premier League leaders.

Kevin De Bruyne needed just five minutes to open the scoring and became the first player to score a league brace in the Manchester derby since Sergio Aguero in April 2015, after Jadon Sancho's first-half equaliser.

De Bruyne then turned provider for Riyad Mahrez to put the game beyond doubt at 3-1, before the Algeria international capped a sumptuous derby display with a late fourth goal for City.

That leaves United a point behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who defeated Watford 3-2 on the same day and have played three games fewer than Rangnick's side.

Rangnick pointed to the difference in quality between his team and City as he looked ahead to an important period, with United vying for Champions League success and a top-four push in the league.

"I think we played a good, if not decent first half. We were competitive. It is difficult to concede an early goal," he told Sky Sports after the game.

"We came back, scored a brilliant goal ourselves then conceded another on the counter. It was a very difficult game against one of the best teams in the world. We conceded a fourth in the last minute of the game. It is a difficult game that shows we have a long way to go to close that gap."

Pressed for an answer on whether the gulf between the two Manchester clubs showed, Rangnick added: "In the second half it did but the first half was a competitive game.

"Everyone knows how good they are. They are one of the top teams in the world and there is a gap between the two teams.

"We are fully aware we need to win games. This is one of the most difficult. It is accepting they were the better team today.

"But we look ahead to the next games and we need to win the next two home games - they are essential to us."

United's first-half display did offer some hope, with Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes acting as strikers and Scott McTominay, Fred, Sancho and Anthony Elanga doing the hard yards in behind the front pair.

But the Red Devils' task was already made more difficult before kick-off, when it was confirmed they would be without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani.

"I don't know. I was hoping to have them available for this game," Rangnick responded when asked when Ronaldo and Cavani could return.

"We have two important games coming up against Spurs and Atletico and we have to put our full focus on that."

Meanwhile, City manager Guardiola was delighted with what he saw from the Citizens - who restored their six-point lead at the Premier League summit, albeit Liverpool do still boast a game in hand and make the trip to the Etihad in April.

"It was excellent from the first minute. We played really well and had to be patient in the first step," he told Sky Sports.

"Ralf [Rangnick] tried to change the mentality for Man United to be more aggressive but we made space, especially in the second half, to play behind [Scott] McTominay and Fred.

"Football is emotions. It's tactics, definitely, but it's also emotions. Without the ball, we are a team with desire and passion to regain the ball from the first minute to the 90th.

"We also want the ball as much as possible and, especially, second half we used it very well."

Guardiola also reserved special praise for Jack Grealish, who was preferred ahead of Raheem Sterling on the left flank.

"He was excellent. [At one] moment he will understand in the final third, 'this ball is from me'. He is very generous," Guardiola said of the former Aston Villa man.

"When you see Phil [Foden] and Riyad [Mahrez] in that moment, it is their ball. This is the next step for Jack, but in terms of decision-making, and using players in space, he was exceptional."

Kevin De Bruyne was pleased with how Manchester City responded to Liverpool's win against West Ham, after a "different" Manchester United derby challenge on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp's side closed the gap on Pep Guardiola's Premier League leaders to three points with a 1-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday.

But any sense of concern was quickly quashed when De Bruyne opened the scoring in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium after just five minutes.

That was his 50th goal in the competition, and he soon added a 51st to his name, albeit after Jadon Sancho had levelled up for Ralf Rangnick's visitors.

Belgium international De Bruyne, who became the first City player to score a brace in this league fixture since Sergio Aguero in April 2015, then teed up Riyad Mahrez to put the hosts 3-1 up.

With that assist, De Bruyne recorded his 89th goal involvement in just 100 Premier League home games, spread across his time with Chelsea and predominantly City, and the midfielder was satisfied with his side's 4-1 win. Mahrez had added gloss to the scoreline in the closing stages, firing in off the face of David de Gea.

"I think Man United played differently to other occasions. They tried to press us and did well in the first half," De Bruyne told Sky Sports.

"We had a few more difficulties to get the ball around, but in the second half we created more opportunities."

De Bruyne was unable to explain why City have previously struggled at home to United but done well away, though he was delighted with this result against Rangnick's side.

"I can't explain why we always win over there [Old Trafford] but have more difficulty at home," he said. "Today, we played really well and deserved the three points.

"It's about winning game by game. They [Liverpool] won yesterday, but we responded in the right way. Sometimes we don't get the result, but we always play the right way and we will fight until the end of the season."

Mahrez sealed the derby success with the late strike that took him to 101 goal involvements for City across all competitions. It was his 21st goal of the campaign.

But the Algeria international acknowledged he had to stay patient for his opportunities, after a limited first-half display that saw the majority of chances come down City's left side.

"I think I touched four balls in the first 30 minutes, but in my head, I had to stay focused," Mahrez told Sky Sports.

"The first half was good and they [Man Utd] tried to play on the counter. Second half, we were more patient and more controlled and made the difference."

Discussing his goals, Mahrez added: "The first one, you just have to try and hit the target and the second one, I tried to put it high and it hit his face and went in. I will take both of them."

Guardiola's side will look to protect their lead at the Premier League summit when they travel to Crystal Palace in their next league outing, though Liverpool do still have a game in hand on City.

It was deemed a pivotal match in the title race. Liverpool would have been able to go top of the Premier League table – or at least within a point of it – with a win in their game in hand if Manchester City slipped up in the Manchester derby.

But upon its conclusion at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, it was difficult to imagine Liverpool players doing anything but lifting their jaws off the floor after City blew Manchester United away in stunning fashion, beating Ralf Rangnick's side 4-1.

Not that it always looked likely to be so one-sided. A Cristiano Ronaldo-less United certainly made things interesting at the start, and the absence of the Portuguese forward – due to a hip injury – gave them an enigmatic aura, to some degree.

It emerged on Saturday night that Ronaldo was a doubt when reports began to suggest the Portugal captain had not been present with the rest of the squad at their team hotel.

City would surely have been preparing to face Ronaldo all week, and so United's set-up will have come as something of a shock – even more so when in the early exchanges it looked like the visitors were attempting to go punch-for-punch with the champions, something few teams survive.

In fact, early on there were signs of role reversal. United had spells of possession, City were playing for counters. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, counter-attacking became something of a staple for the Red Devils in these fixtures.

But in the absence of Ronaldo, it was as if United were finally playing with a full complement of players, such has been his lack of influence outside the penalty area – you could potentially include inside the area as well given his recent wastefulness.

With Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba supporting wide forwards Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga, United looked fluid, intricate and generally dangerous in attack, almost mimicking City's striker-less style for 2021-22, the hosts' fifth-minute opener from Kevin De Bruyne not appearing to upset the away side's flow a great deal.

Jadon Sancho's excellent equaliser showed precisely what United were capable of, as they cut through City and the England international exhibited great composure by skipping around Rodri and curling into the bottom-right corner.

Though by that point, in the 22nd minute, City had already started to get to grips with United's slightly surprising set-up, as Rangnick's men started to show cracks.

In the first 15 minutes, the share of possession was almost 50/50 – over the course of a derby during Pep Guardiola's time in Manchester, United haven't had more than 40 per cent at the Etihad Stadium. But over the following third of the first half, City's share increased to 72.5 per cent, and it was unsurprising to see them regain the lead through De Bruyne just six minutes after Sancho's leveller.

If United were trying to mimic City, the latter were proving themselves to be the real deal.

Pep Guardiola seemingly targeted Aaron Wan-Bissaka – or United's right flank in general – as the weak link, with the right-back struggling to cope as Joao Cancelo, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva – even Phil Foden too at times – ganged up on him. City's first two goals originated from that area of the pitch and, in truth, even more could have.

United reached the break just one goal behind, and given their promising start and the open nature of the first period, there was reason to believe a way back wasn't out of the question.

But City were on a different planet after half-time.

Their control of the ball found another level, as did their cohesion when pressing, with United having immense difficulty passing through the City midfield.

Pogba faded into anonymity, Fernandes and Sancho too, while Grealish galloped with joy and De Bruyne ran the show, out-crafting and out-muscling his counterparts at almost every opportunity.

Adding to his brace, the Belgian also played the inch-perfect corner delivery that led to Riyad Mahrez's gorgeous half-volleyed third, which most would have accepted was game over for United. Though fans would have hoped the players weren't of the same opinion.

Yet the response to that 68th-minute goal was non-existent. City had 87 per cent of the ball between the 76th minute and full-time as United just seemed to throw in the towel – the concession of a late fourth to Mahrez was a just punishment for their reaction.

City's performance was a timely and fitting reminder that their superiority cannot be simply copied and pasted.

Rangnick said on Friday that City are an example because every decision in the club revolves around certain ideals and a joint-up philosophical approach to football – the second half on Sunday embodied that as they played United off the park playing the ferocious football they are known for.

Before this weekend, United had been reduced to the role of prospective party-poopers – it's a damning indictment of where they are now that even this was evidently way beyond their capacity.

Gary Neville labelled Manchester United "a disgrace" after their feeble second-half surrender in the 4-1 derby defeat to Manchester City.

After an exciting first half saw City edge 2-1 in front thanks to a Kevin De Bruyne double, the fizz went out of United's performance and they barely saw the ball in the closing stages.

Riyad Mahrez helped himself to two goals and United were out-shot 14-0 in the second half by a rampant home side at the Etihad Stadium.

It became a drubbing as United folded, and former club captain Neville said Ralf Rangnick's team let themselves down dreadfully.

During the final minutes of the game, Neville – now a commentator for Sky Sports – offered a string of stinging assessments.

"They've given up... they're walking around the pitch... nowhere near good enough," he said.

"They've absolutely thrown the towel in. The intensity and effort in the last 20 minutes has been non-existent."

United had just 21.1 per cent of possession in the second half, and their passing accuracy after the break was a poor 75 per cent. City's accuracy across the 90 minutes was a precise 92.7 per cent, underlining the quality they displayed.

Neville continued to be stinging as City's win was confirmed, adding: "Manchester United finished like an absolute shower.

"They were a disgrace in that last 25 minutes."

He spared Rangnick the most excoriating of his criticism, with the interim manager filling a gap between full-time appointments.

United had been unbeaten in eight Premier League games prior to this crushing setback.

The performance must have come as a shock to Rangnick, and Neville said: "The first time he's come up against a proper team, they've been given a proper doing."

Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez hit doubles as Manchester City thumped derby rivals Manchester United 4-1 to restore their six-point lead over Liverpool at the Premier League summit.

United had won their previous three games at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions but, without the injured Cristiano Ronaldo, they were behind inside five minutes to a close-range De Bruyne strike.

After Jadon Sancho temporarily levelled up against his former club, De Bruyne struck a second to put City back in front before half-time, and then teed up Mahrez for a superb City third in the second half.

United were previously unbeaten in 11 games in normal time in all competitions but conceded a fourth when Mahrez doubled his tally late on, seeing City give themselves some breathing space at the top, albeit with Liverpool holding a game in hand and still having to travel to the Etihad next month.

De Bruyne was left in plenty of space to drill Bernardo Silva's low pass away from David de Gea early on, the Belgium international registering his 50th goal in the competition.

United otherwise made a positive start, despite also being without Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw and Edinson Cavani, and they were level with 22 minutes played.

Sancho was played into space by Paul Pogba and cut inside before sending a delightful curled finish past Ederson from the edge of the 18-yard box.

City restored their lead just six minutes later through De Bruyne, who blasted in after Phil Foden's initial shot was well saved by De Gea and not dealt with by United's defenders.

De Bruyne was again involved when picking out Mahrez from a corner to volley in a third goal for City, and the Algeria international rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute with another crisp finish after VAR judged Alex Telles had played him onside.

Roy Keane has questioned why Cristiano Ronaldo was omitted from Manchester United's squad for Sunday's derby showdown with Manchester City.

Ronaldo leads the scoring charts for United this term with 15 goals across all competitions, but he played no part against Premier League leaders City at the Etihad Stadium.

Ralf Rangnick put the Portugal international's absence for the contest down to a hip flexor injury that kept him out of training on Friday.

But former United midfielder Keane suggested there may be other reasons behind the five-time Ballon d'Or winner being left out by Rangnick for such an important game.

"There seems to be more to the Ronaldo story when a manager comes out and talks about a hip flexor... I don't get it," Keane told Sky Sports ahead of the match. 

"We talk about Ronaldo being a machine and very rarely getting injured but every now and again he comes out with that... a hip flexor? It doesn't add up to me.

"It's a surprise to hear Ronaldo has a hip injury but United have pace, quality. They still have important players and they still have to come out and play with pride."

Ronaldo had played in 30 of United's 37 games this term prior to the City game, a tally bettered only by Jadon Sancho (31), David de Gea (35) and Bruno Fernandes (36).

United had won 11 of the 20 Premier League games Ronaldo had featured in before Sunday, compared to two wins from the seven games he has not played a part in.

Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane also missed the City match after testing positive for coronavirus, while Edinson Cavani failed to recover from injury in time.