Ahead of the Manchester derby, Manchester Evening News held a Q&A session with fans focused on team selection and Manchester United's injury situation, discussing Zirkzee's chances of playing time, competition between Doku and Luke Shaw for the left-back position, and providing updates on the recovery progress of Baleba and Ugarte.

When will the Glazer family and INEOS sell the club to someone willing to invest and bring in quality players?

Not in the short term. I think the players Manchester United signed this summer meet your definition of quality players; it's just that they haven't spent as much money as some of their rivals. A new owner could loosen some constraints, and debt repayment would also help. But currently, restricted by financial fair play rules, the club cannot spend lavishly without considering the balance sheet. Meanwhile, Manchester United still has significant transfer fees to pay, and Marcus Rashford's return has also impacted the squad's wage budget.

If Manchester United fails to qualify for the Champions League each season, they won't have enough revenue to spend on par with some rivals. I think that's the main issue.

The relationship between the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe still resembles an arranged marriage, maintained out of practical necessity. However, this arrangement could continue for some time.

I think Zirkzee should be given some playing time; he played well after coming on as a substitute against Al-Shabab. What do you think?

Zirkzee has shown flashes this season twice—once in a pre-season friendly against Rosenborg and once in the Champions League against Al-Shabab. This also shows the intensity level at which he displays his best football.

When in good form, he's a very technical player, but his style of play requires a certain amount of space and time on the ball, which the Premier League rarely provides. That's why he sometimes struggles in domestic competitions. Sesko and Cunha are both ahead of him in the pecking order for the central striker position, and I think Mbeumo is as well, and perhaps even Rashford. I expect him to get more playing time against Brighton, but I'm not sure whether he'll get a chance against Manchester City.

When will Baleba return?

The £70 million signing hasn't yet trained with the squad, and at this stage, it seems unlikely he'll return before the international break. He suffered an early injury during pre-season, so he's still somewhat behind in his preparation. The upcoming three-week international break will give him additional time to rejoin team training and gradually build up his match fitness. Hopefully he can be back on the pitch in October.

Luke Shaw should be benched, and Doku should play more.

I think Doku's performance against Al-Shabab was mixed. Without question, as an attacking left-back, he could be a very good option, but his defensive ability is sometimes careless. If he faces Manchester City, I feel Manchester City would be very happy to exploit that.

Doku was also largely responsible for Everton's equalizer. He pressed too early when the team's overall pressing system hadn't fully formed, and that press was completely unnecessary, leaving space down the right flank. He's a very talented player. If Manchester United are controlling the game and have a clear advantage, I'd be very willing to let him start at left-back.

But if Shaw can't play against Manchester City, I'd choose Mazraoui for more defensive solidity. I think Carrick would make a similar choice.

I'd like to know how Ugarte is recovering. I know his injury is quite serious.

Ugarte is still in the very early stages of recovery, and I don't think we'll see any signs of his return until well into the new year. A serious knee ligament injury typically sidelines a player for around nine months, and when he returns, the club will certainly be very cautious with his rehabilitation.

It's been over two months since his surgery, and he has returned to Carrington. Currently, he's doing some knee-strengthening exercises in the gym to help restore knee mobility and gradually regain flexibility. It will still be quite some time before we see him back training on the pitch.

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