Carrick Responds to 'Kings of Manchester' Jibe Ahead of Derby
Elliot Anderson walked into Manchester this summer and lit the fuse himself.
A £116 million move from Nottingham Forest to the Etihad came with more than a record fee. The midfielder happily declared Manchester City the “Kings of Manchester”, a line the club’s own website doubled down on by capitalising the word ‘king’ and pushing it straight into United territory.
It stung. Of course it did.
City have spent more than a decade building the kind of dominance that makes such talk hard to dismiss. Since United last finished above them in the Premier League, back in the 2012-13 title-winning season, the blue half of the city have stacked up seven league crowns and a Champions League trophy. United’s return in that same period looks modest by comparison, a reminder of how sharply the power has swung.
And yet the derby itself has not turned into a procession. United have taken seven wins and three draws from the last 20 league meetings with City – not supremacy, but not surrender either. Enough to keep the rivalry alive. Enough to give Sunday some edge.
Anderson’s first taste of this fixture was always going to carry extra heat. His own words guaranteed it.
“It’s been one of the biggest derbies in the world. And for as long as I’ve known, City have been the Kings of Manchester,” he said recently, leaning into the narrative of a generation that has grown up with blue ribbons on most of the trophies.
New City head coach Enzo Maresca, stepping into Pep Guardiola’s old domain, wasted no time backing his marquee signing.
“Probably the reason why Elliot said that is because he grew up in the last 15 years,” Maresca said. “I think Manchester City were unbelievable in what they achieved. So it was normal when Elliot said that... For me the reason Elliot said that is because when he grew up Manchester City was dominant.”
From the City dugout, it sounded logical. From the United one, it was never going to be embraced.
Asked directly about the “Kings of Manchester” taunt, Michael Carrick didn’t blink. Or bite.
“I’m definitely not using that phrase, at all, no,” the United boss replied, a wry smile doing as much work as the words.
He refused the label, but he didn’t ignore the reality.
“I understand it,” he admitted. “We are humble enough and realistic enough to know where we have come from in recent history.”
That balance – defiance without delusion – has underpinned Carrick’s time in charge. His permanent tenure already includes a standout 2-0 win over Guardiola’s City, the kind of result that briefly shakes the city’s hierarchy. He is not interested in it being a one-off.
For Carrick, the real measure is whether United can turn nights like that into a habit, not a highlight. Returning to the Champions League is framed as a starting point, not a destination.
“It is good, in a way, that expectation has shifted,” he said. “All of a sudden, there are different things asked of us to maybe what was asked of us a few months ago. We are in the Champions League – that in itself shows the steps we have made.”
The message is clear: progress is real, but incomplete.
“Now, it is about the next stage,” he continued. “We need to, and want to be better, and we want to be challenging more. That’s where we're at. It doesn't mean that we can't and we won't. It means we still hope, we believe, and we expect that we can be and we should be, but I understand the bigger picture.”
That bigger picture, right now, shows United five points behind Maresca’s side in the Premier League table heading into Sunday. The gap is not insurmountable, yet it is significant enough to make this derby feel like more than just bragging rights.
A win would drag City closer and land a psychological punch on neighbours who have grown used to looking down. A defeat would reinforce the current order.
Carrick knows exactly what they are up against. He watched City’s midweek European performance and saw a machine still humming.
“I thought they were very professional against Porto the other night,” he said. “They are a very good team. We know we have to put in a good performance and do a lot of things right to get a result.”
There was respect in his assessment, but no trace of intimidation.
“I think we have built up confidence over a period of time,” Carrick added. “I feel like we are getting better all the time and that helps us. It is a big game, it is an important game, there is a lot riding on it. We are looking forward to it. We have got a short space of time to recover and prepare for it, but we will make the most of it.”
City arrive with the trophies and the self-appointed crown. United arrive with scars, momentum, and a manager who refuses to bow to the title of “kings”.
The Etihad and Old Trafford will argue about that for years. On Sunday, 90 minutes will say who rules it for now.
