The Manchester derby is getting ever closer, but there has been plenty else to talk about around City today, including Erling Haaland’s future, a remarkable £343m figure and another chance for Simon Jordan to tell everyone what he thinks.
We have also updated two of our season-long trackers as Enzo Maresca’s City prepare to head across Manchester on Sunday with four successive victories behind them.
Here is today’s City news and talking points.
Manchester derby by numbers
With Old Trafford now firmly on the horizon, we took a deeper look at some of the numbers behind one of English football’s biggest fixtures.
Our Manchester derby by numbers feature revisited the biggest wins, leading scorers and records accumulated over more than a century of meetings. Wayne Rooney remains the derby’s record scorer with 11 goals, while Joe Hayes and Francis Lee lead the way for City with 10 apiece.
City’s famous 6-1 victories at Old Trafford in 1926 and 2011 remain their biggest competitive wins in the fixture.
£343m figure underlines City’s European advantage
One of the more eye-catching numbers of the day came from a report looking at the financial gap City have built over Manchester United in European competition.
City are reported to have generated £343m more in European broadcast and prize money than their neighbours between 2016 and 2025. Sustained Champions League participation has brought enormous rewards, with City now competing in the tournament for a 15th consecutive season.
Simon Jordan isn’t changing his mind
Simon Jordan has never exactly hidden his feelings towards City, and there was no sudden change of heart today.
The talkSPORT presenter made his views on the club crystal clear, saying he does not respect City’s buying power, the club’s “credentials” or its fan base. Jordan also admitted he has never been a huge admirer of City, which will hardly come as a revelation to anyone who has heard him discuss the club before.
Haaland’s secret is in the garden
Erling Haaland’s heading has become another weapon in an already formidable armoury, and the striker has revealed some of the work behind the improvement.
Haaland said he had been practising headers in the garden with his dad Alfie only a couple of days ago, with three of his five goals this season coming with his head. The timing is quite neat ahead of a Manchester derby given Alfie’s own history with United, but the more interesting point for City is that Haaland believes an area of his game that was once a weakness has improved considerably.
Do City need to plan for life without Haaland?
Haaland featured again later in the day after a social-media account claimed he is considering leaving City at the end of the season, with Barcelona mentioned as a possible destination.
We went looking for credible evidence to support the specific claim and couldn’t find anything convincing. Haaland is under contract until 2034 and there is no reliable indication that he is planning an exit next summer, so we certainly weren’t prepared to present the rumour as fact.
It did provide some food for thought. Maresca recently spoke about City’s need to keep finding successors to great players, citing De Bruyne following David Silva, Haaland replacing Sergio Aguero and Rodri taking over from Fernandinho.
There is no reason to think Haaland is going anywhere imminently, but one day City will have to find another answer.
City player stats updated
Our Man City player stats tracker has been brought up to date following the opening three Premier League matches, with City taking nine points from nine and scoring seven goals.
Rúben Dias, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Marc Guéhi and Haaland have played every league minute so far. Rayan Cherki has two goals and two assists, while Phil Foden and Antoine Semenyo have also registered two assists apiece.
Fixtures and results tracker updated
The City fixtures and results tracker has also had an update following Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Porto.
Maresca’s side have played five competitive games, winning four since losing the Community Shield against Arsenal. They have a perfect Premier League record and opened their Champions League campaign with three points and a clean sheet in Portugal.
Manchester United away comes next on Sunday before Norwich City visit the Etihad in the Carabao Cup on Thursday.
Old Trafford awaits
That brings us back to where most of the attention will turn over the next few days.
City arrive at Old Trafford with nine points from nine in the Premier League, while United have taken four points from their opening three matches. City’s 2-0 defeat on the same ground last season is a useful reminder that a good run of form guarantees very little in a derby.
Maresca is due to face the media tomorrow, when there should be a clearer picture of the fitness of Nico O’Reilly and Jérémy Doku as well as his thoughts ahead of his first Manchester derby as City boss.
For the latest City news, results and talking points throughout the season, follow our LIVE! Premier League 2026/27 News, Transfers, Updates & Viral Moments page.
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