Ashley Young: Manchester United Will Be Ready for City Derby After Everton Loss

Manchester United defender Ashley Young has called on his team-mates to bounce back from Sunday's 4-0 humiliation at Everton to ensure they'll be ready for Wednesday's derby clash against Manchester City. 

Young came off the bench during United's defeat at Goodison Park and said to MUTV after the loss that the squad is aware of how important it is that they improve at home to City: 

"We've just got to apologise to the fans and we've got a tough one coming up on Wednesday with the Manchester derby.

"We know how important that's going to be. If you can't get yourselves up for the Manchester derby, there's something wrong.

"I've got confidence that we're going to be ready for Wednesday. It's a disappointing day [against Everton] but we've got to dust ourselves down fairly quickly and go again this week."

City can move one point clear of Liverpool at the Premier League summit if they win at Old Trafford, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men are sixth, two points below Chelsea in fifth and Arsenal in fourth. There are 22 points between the two Manchester neighbours with four games remaining.

Sunday's defeat on Merseyside has put a big dent in any hopes United have of finishing among the top four and qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League.

Former United full-back Gary Neville saw his old side lose in sorry fashion, and he expressed his fury after the full-time whistle on Sky Sports:

That loss came after Solskjaer's side were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals by Barcelona on Tuesday. They suffered a 3-0 second-leg defeat that quickly extinguished their comeback dream, having lost the opening leg 1-0 at home.

United's fans were already expecting a response after seeing their European campaign end so disappointingly:

Young, 33, signed a one-year contract extension at the club in February but has encountered criticism for his more recent performances as a makeshift full-back.

Solskjaer's priority after the match was apologising to the supporters who travelled to Goodison, knowing this loss may prove to be the nail in the coffin of their Champions League dream, via Sky Sports (UK only):

It's fortunate for them that third-place Tottenham Hotspur lost 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday before Arsenal slipped up in a 3-2 defeat at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday.

United have lost six of their last eight games, and it's safe to say the initial honeymoon period that often comes with a new manager is over in Solskjaer's case.

The priority now is to take a stand against City in a derby that will either highlight City's current superiority over their city rivals, or conjure an upset that could have a significant impact on the title race.