Manager Wayne Rooney has named his Derby County side for this afternoon’s pre-season friendly against Premier League side Manchester United at Pride Park Stadium (1pm kick-off).
The clash with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s side is the Rams’ first public pre-season fixture ahead of the upcoming 2021/22 Sky Bet Championship season.
Several free agents have been training with Derby of late and Phil Jagielka, Sone Aluko, Ravel Morrison and Sam Baldock all start.
Another free agent in the side, Curtis Davies, has spent the last four seasons with the Rams and although he is out of contract he has been with the group throughout pre-season.
Jason Knight, Louie Watson and Jack Stretton miss out with injuries, along with long-term absentee Krystian Bielik, while Poland international winger Kamil Jozwiak is not in contention after only resuming training on Saturday following an extended summer break.
Another free agent, Andre Wisdom, has spent the last four years with Derby and has continued to train with squad. However, he is not yet available as he covers from a muscle injury which ruled him out of the closing weeks of the 2020/21 season.
The vast majority of the starting line-up will get 60 minutes, with a few exceptions, as the players begin to build-up their match sharpness.
Derby County: Roos (GK); Byrne, Davies, Jagielka, Buchanan; Shinnie, Bird; Lawrence (C), Morrison, Aluko; Baldock.
Substitutes: Marshall (GK), Forsyth, Kazim-Richards, Stearman, Sibley, Foulkes (GK), Thompson, Hutchinson, Ebosele, McDonald, Plange, Aghatise, Solomon, Bardell.
Manchester United’s squad includes the likes of Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood and Aaron Wan Bissaka, while former Rams loanee Teden Mengi is in the starting line-up.
There are two other former Derby players on the bench in the former of Jesse Lingard and Lee Grant.
Manchester United: Heaton (GK), Mata (C), Greenwood, Wan Bissaka, Williams, Levitt, Elanga, Garner, Tuanzebe, Mengi, Chong.
Substitutes: Grant (GK), Lingard, Pereira, Telles, Pellistri, Bishop (GK), Matic, Mejbri, Shoretire, Fish, Hugill, Galbraith, Bernard.