Manchester United legend Gary Neville has insisted that Jose Mourinho’s men will need to stop the Manchester City duo of David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne from playing their natural game on Sunday.

The two attacking midfielders have been key in Manchester City’s devastating form and the two combined to break West Ham’s resolve last weekend when the Hammers were looking like getting a point at the Etihad.




The duo will feature at Old Trafford against Manchester United on Sunday and Neville stressed the importance of his former club stopping those two players from dictating play for Manchester City.

The former defender believes Manchester United need to closely man mark them as the duo can cause chaos with their passing, even from deep, and believes putting them off their game is crucial for Mourinho to have a semblance of control on proceedings at Old Trafford.
 


He urged the Manchester United manager to devise a plan to stop Manchester City’s two key creative outlets.  

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Neville said on the Premier League Today programme: “It’s dangerous to focus on one or two players, but I would just focus on Silva and De Bruyne.

“When I watch City play, their rhythm is through Silva and De Bruyne, their assists are through them and the big moments of matches are through those two.

“What I have seen in the last couple of matches is that Silva and De Bruyne are failing to find the space between defence and midfield at Huddersfield and West Ham.

“They have started to drop a little bit deeper and wider and West Ham and Huddersfield sat there thinking, ‘we’re okay, De Bruyne have got the ball wide and is 40 yards from goal so he can’t shoot, he is not in between the lines or behind me, so I’m okay’.

“But you saw the ball he played against West Ham last week.”

The Manchester United legend continued: “I think they could man mark both.

"I cannot think Jose will want to allow them to play, they have to stop them two playing for rhythm and possession but for also their key passes and assists.

“In terms of stopping City, they have to stop it at source.”