Manchester United vs Liverpool: David De Gea set to return as Brendan Rodgers' side hope to bounce back
A look ahead to the Premier League fixture at Old Trafford
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David De Gea: All those failed file conversions, those reams upon reams of legal documents, all that fax machine toner, all for nothing. Here we are, the transfer window has closed and David De Gea is still a Manchester United player.
After sitting out Manchester United's first four fixtures of this Premier League campaign, the Spaniard is likely to return for the visit of Liverpool and not a moment too soon. His stand-in Sergio Romero did not cover himself in glory against Swansea City, failing to keep out Bafetembi Gomis' winner with a tame left hand.
Despite dropping his best goalkeeper and all the bluster that followed, Louis van Gaal will undoubtedly be pleased to have him available for selection.
Best stat…
7: Both sides go into this fixture with seven points, following two wins, a draw and a defeat each in their opening four fixtures.
Remember when…
Danny Murphy liked playing at Old Trafford. The former Liverpool midfielder notched three winning goals there over the course of four seasons, becoming a real jinx for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.
Although his first strike was sweet enough, a free-kick that swung past a flailing Fabian Barthez, the best came just over a year later when he beat the Frenchman once more, this time with a perfectly-executed first-time lob.
Player to watch…
Anthony Martial
As De Gea settles himself for another year in Manchester, one young ma hoping to be around a lot longer is Martial. Even now that the deadline day dust has settled, it seems incredible that United parted with such a sum for the forward.
You could almost hear the joy in Monaco vice-president Vadim Vasilyev's voice as he admitted that when a Premier League club turns up with a potential transfer fee of £58m for a largely unproven player, "it's very hard to stop them." Indeed, why would you want to?
Martial, however, did not set his price and should be given the opportunity to live up to it. A winning goal against your new club's arch-old nemesis wouldn't be a bad start.
Past three-meetings…
Liverpool 1 (Sturridge) Manchester United 2 (Mata 2)
Premier League, March 2015
Manchester United 3 (Rooney, Mata, Van Persie) Liverpool 0
Premier League, December 2014
Manchester United 0 Liverpool 3 (Gerrard 2, Suarez)
Premier League, February 2014
Form guide…
Manchester United: WWDL
Liverpool: WWDL
Vital information…
KICK-OFF: 5:30pm, Saturday 12th September
TV: Live on Sky Sports 1 from 5.00pm, highlights on Match of the Day, BBC1, 10.50pm
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