Wayne Rooney captains four City players, as well as Marcus Rashford, in our composite side and there can be no doubt about the manager

Agree/disagree: this is the point of selecting a combined Manchester XI from the City and United squads of Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho to contest Saturday’s game. Apart from the goalkeeper, every berth was difficult to decide. The manager, though, proved a no-brainer.

So be indignant, be scandalised; enjoy …

David de Gea

Even before Joe Hart’s demotion as the City No1 the Spaniard was the obvious option. First choice for his country, De Gea is United’s player of the season for the past three years and there is difficulty recalling the last time he made an error.

Antonio Valencia

The weakest position in both squads, the Ecuadorian is chosen after due consideration of City’s Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna. Valencia’s greater pace and attacking verve as a former winger, plus his impressive start to the campaign, just shade the claims of his counterparts in blue.

John Stones

Has begun his City career by gliding around the pitch imperiously and making any doubts seem a fading memory. Stones is bound to make mistakes but, at the moment, he looks to have class and ability to spare and given Guardiola’s faith in him is surely only going to improve.

Aleksandar Kolarov

City and United have issues in central defence and the Serb is chosen for the convincing way he has moved across from left-back. Daley Blind and Eric Bailly have a case, but the former lacks the muscle and thirst for the tackle of the latter: two attributes Kolarov also possesses plus, vitally, far more experience than the Ivorian.

Luke Shaw

The 21-year-old is playing supremely, a sight more impressive considering United’s opening three games are his first since the horrific double leg-break suffered last September. The injury does not appear to have blunted his bravery or pace and this makes him an asset defending and going forward.

Paul Pogba

The side’s midfield general, Pogba’s role is to win challenges, dominate aerial skirmishes, break up attacks, initiate them and maraud forward when he believes the time is apt: the all-action footballer who sets the example and tempo for this City-United side.

David Silva

A magician and a one-off player whose eye for the openings others do not see will put the X-factor into the team. Still only 30, Silva has won everything, apart from the Champions League, and his five goals for Spain in 2016 is his best international return in a year.

Marcus Rashford

Mourinho is yet to start him and Sam Allardyce dropped him from the England squad, but the 18-year-old walks into this side because he always delivers. Rashford scored on debut for United, England, and the England Under-21s – Tuesday night’s hat-trick surely making him unignorable for Saturday’s clash. He scored the winner in United’s last outing, at Hull City. He is also the last man to score a derby winner: last year’s effort at the Etihad Stadium. He is direct, terrifies defences, and is seriously fast.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Marcus Rashford’s eye for goal whoever he plays for gains him a place in the Manchester side. Photograph: Huw Evans/Rex/Shutterstock

Wayne Rooney

The captain of United and England leads this side, too. Puzzlingly, some may not appreciate Rooney’s phenomenal career until it is over, but not here: 246 United goals – four more are needed to be the record scorer – and the all-time mark of 53 for his country complement a glut of medals that shows every domestic trophy plus the European Cup. The fire still burns as Rooney’s dying-seconds creation of Rashford’s winner at Hull illustrates.

Kevin De Bruyne

A serious talent whose ability to make goals and score them at a near-prolific rate would have meant no starting berth for Zlatan Ibrahimovic if Sergio Agüero were not suspended. The Belgian’s knee injury in late January derailed City’s title challenge and his inclusion means this XI oozes even more class.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

The 34-year-old’s uber-persona, outsized ability and winner’s focus make him a superb stand-in for Agüero and one any defender would hate to face. Ibrahimovic has scored three times for United in the league, struck the Community Shield clincher and has the faithful swaggering again along Sir Matt Busby Way.

Manager: José Mourinho

A simple choice. Mourinho has won league titles in Portugal, England, Italy and Spain; Guardiola has won them in Spain and Germany. Mourinho has two Champions League triumphs at two different clubs of differing sizes and pedigree – Porto and Internazionale; Guardiola has two with the same club, the gilded, leviathan Barcelona. Mourinho has never had the all-time great Messi to help him in any of his achievements unlike the Catalan at Barça, plus he knows the English game inside out, unlike Guardiola.