Paul Pogba has already told Ralf Rangnick why he must start for Manchester United at Man City

Manchester City could have won the Premier League title against Manchester United at the Etihad back in 2018.

Though United were a distant sight in the rear-view mirror of their rivals in the title race and had nothing to play for on paper, the eternal bragging rights that City would have gained from winning the title against their great rivals would have been a painful memory for many fans to live with.

And when City went 2-0 up in the first half and looked in complete control of the game, it seemed like United were destined to come to terms with that embarrassment as their opponents lifted the title at the end of the game.

But then something changed.

If you ask any United fan what Paul Pogba's worst 45 minutes as a United player, they may mention the first half of that City match but if you ask them what his best was, it would be the second.

In the second half of the Manchester derby, Pogba put the team on his back, scoring two goals in quick succession to put United level and consistently put the City defence to the sword with his passing. Surprisingly in itself, only Alexis Sanchez with his two assists came close to matching the Frenchman's performance in that second half.

And that performance, alongside how Pogba has played since his return to the squad from injury, should be a prime example of why Ralf Rangnick needs to pick the Frenchman against City on Sunday.

Pogba can control the tempo of the game with his passing but is also press-resistant due to his frame and athleticism and is therefore probably United's best all-round player on the ball. That will prove useful against the highly-technical midfield trio that City will deploy of Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan, who scored in the fixture back in