Pep Guardiola Talks Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane Ahead of Manchester Derby

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said Kevin De Bruyne is "getting better" but remains a doubt for Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford. 

The Belgian playmaker missed City's 1-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday with a shoulder injury.

Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference that De Bruyne will be back in training before City visit Manchester United, but he could not guarantee he will be fit enough to play:

The Spaniard also ruled out the possibility of Leroy Sane playing any part at Old Trafford:

The winger has been sidelined since August, when he suffered a serious knee injury in the Community Shield.

He stepped up his comeback by playing 57 minutes for the under-23s against Arsenal on February 28. Given how long he has been out for, though, it is little surprise Guardiola is not prepared to put him back in first-team action in a derby.

City and United have already met three times this season.

The Red Devils prevailed 2-1 in the reverse league fixture in December, and both sides had a win apiece in their two-legged EFL Cup semi-final in January.

The Sky Blues advanced to the final on aggregate and claimed a third successive triumph in the tournament when they beat Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on Sunday:

City are still in with a chance of winning two other pieces of silverware this term, as they are into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and lead Real Madrid 2-1 after the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

Guardiola's side effectively have no chance of retaining the Premier League title this term, as they trail leaders Liverpool by 22 points, but that is unlikely to dampen their desire to beat their neighbours on Sunday.