Manchester United v. Manchester City: The Combined XI

As the battle for the Premier League trophy rages on, I decided to try to pick a combined XI team of the Premier League's two best teams—Manchester United and Manchester City.

There will always be players who barely missed out on the place in the combined XI, so don't get mad if you don't see your favourite player here.

I chose the players based on their overall skill rather than on current form.

The formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Although David de Gea has been fantastic in the recent months, Joe Hart's consistency earns him a place in the team.

The England shot-stopper has so far managed to keep a clean sheet on 13 occasions, which is the highest number of clean sheets in the league.

Hart was voted the best Premier League goalkeeper in 2009/10 season for his performances with Birmingham City. Last season he won the Barclays Golden Glove for keeping the most clean sheets.

I wouldn't bet against him retaining that award.

Only 24, Hart is still very young for a goalkeeper and if he continues to progress at the same rate, we might be looking at the future best goalkeeper.

Right-Back: Micah Richards

This is an easy pick.

United still have a lot of problems at the right-back position. Smalling and Jones are by definition centre-backs, while Fabio and Rafael are still too young and inconsistent for the starting place.

This season Richards established himself as one of the best full-backs in the league. His constant running down the right flank and never-say-die attitude earned him a lot of fans this year.

Centre-Back: Vincent Kompany

Kompany joined City in 2008 in what turned out to be a bargain deal, rejecting Manchester United along the way.

The Belgian international soon established himself as an integral part of City's defense and blossomed in a world-class centre-back.

His main strengths are his composure and versatility, but he is also very solid and reliable in defense. Kompany is one of the main reasons why City is currently fighting for the league trophy. 

Last season the Belgian was named to the Premier League team of the season.

Centre-Back: Nemanja Vidic

Despite his season-ending injury, there's always a place in any team for a player who is regarded as the world's greatest centre-back.

Nemanja Vidic is a strong, robust defender capable of shutting down opponents in a couple of seconds.

Vidic would complement Kompany in defence marvelously as his main strength is his dominance in air, which is Kompany's biggest weakness. He is also a great tackler.

The Serbian international has won two Barclays Player of the Season awards playing for Manchester United.

Left-Back: Patrice Evra

The left-back position is probably the weakest in this combined XI team.

United's vice-captain has just edged out City's left-back duo, Aleksandar Kolarov and Gael Clichy.

Similar to Richards, he is best known for his pace, athleticism and determination. Although Evra is already past his prime, he still remains one of the best full-backs in the league.

The left-back had been involved in a number of controversies including the bust-up with the national team coach of France and more lately, the racism row with Suarez. 

Defensive Midfielder: Michael Carrick

It is often forgotten how important Carrick is to his team.

Although a centre midfield by definition, his defensive contributions earn him a place in the team.

His great distribution of the ball and his crossing abilities have often been overlooked in his national team career. But he still remains the backbone of United's midfield.

Perhaps the only player on the list who is so underrated that he still hasn't won any individual title in his career.

Defensive Midfielder: Yaya Toure

Another player whose importance for the club is often overlooked.

His importance to City was never more evident than when he was away playing the African Cup of Nations. During that time, Manchester City lost their grip on the title with a string of bad defensive results, drawing and even losing from so-called smaller teams in the league.

As well as being great defensively Toure is not afraid to go forward and has scored an admirable eight goals this season.

Left Winger: Sergio Aguero

Aguero started the season brightly scoring goals and grabbing assists for fun, but as the season progressed, his form took a sudden dip.

Similar to his City teammate Silva, he is best known for his fantastic ball control skills. Aguero is also an expert finisher who is almost unstoppable when he is on top of his game.

The Argentinian was signed as a long-term replacement for Tevez and so far he's been great, scoring 17 goals with 10 more games to be played in his first season in the Premier League.

Attacking Midfielder: David Silva

Who said size matters? The diminutive Spaniard is only 5’7” tall, and yet he is one of the greatest players in the Premier League.

His exceptional ball control and tremendous dribbling skills enable him to see off defenders with ease.

Silva already recorded 14 assists this term, and don't be surprised if he is awarded with a Player of the Season title at the end of this season.

If City manage to win their first ever Premier League trophy, Silva is the man who should be thanked for such an incredible feat.

Right Winger: Antonio Valencia

Injuries stifled his career for quite some time, but there's no denying he is one talented lad.

The Ecuadorian can play on both wings as well as on the right-back position. This versatility makes him a huge asset to his team.

His speed and crosses of pinpoint accuracy are his main strengths. To be honest, I don't know if this guy even has any weakness.

In his current form, no full-backs in the EPL would want to come up against him.

Valencia is also one of the most underrated player on the list.

Forward: Wayne Rooney

Rooney has been United's and England's main attacking threat for years, and you could think he's pretty old now. In fact, he is only 26 years old.

The Liverpool-born forward is United's highest goal-scoring player since the inception of the Premier League, which easily earns him a place in the team.

Rooney's predator-like instincts already grabbed him 31 goals this season.

Alongside Tevez arguably the ugliest looking player in the league, Rooney won numerous awards, including Barclays Player of the Year in 2010.

Thanks for Reading!

That's it. This combined XI team consists of six Manchester City and five Manchester United stars spread evenly in each part of the team.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to check out how the Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona combined XI team would look like.

If you're hungry for more articles, check out the stars who could be leaving Madrid in the summer.

Let me know how your combined XI team would look like in the comments.