The Manchester derby intrigue playing out 2,000 miles away after Man United and Man City transfer calls

Manchester City host Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend. Two starters from the previous derby will instead be facing off against each other in Turkey.

At around 6pm on Sunday evening most of the football chatter will be focused on the closing stages of the Manchester derby.

City vs United continues to be a blockbuster Premier League fixture and the fallout from the contest will be significant, irrespective of who comes out on top.

But, as the players leave the field at the Etihad Stadium, there will be a piece of the Manchester derby playing out more than 2,000 miles away.

Istanbul will be the setting for two debuts that will attract the attention of United and City fans.

Fenerbahce vs Trabzonspor might not be the first fixture football fans in this country look up but this weekend’s clash in the Turkish Super Lig will garner extra attention due to the likely debuts of goalkeepers Ederson and Andre Onana.

Both departed Manchester this month with Ederson signing for Fenerbahce on a permanent deal and Onana agreeing a loan switch to Trabzonspor. The latter has been jettisoned by Ruben Amorim while Ederson’s glittering City career has ended perhaps a year earlier than most predicted with James Trafford and Gianluigi Donnarumma now in situ at the Etihad.

It is the dawn of a new era for Ederson and Onana, and both will be hoping for a winning start and an error-free debut.

Onana’s time at Old Trafford has been characterised by glaring mistakes while Ederson will want to hit the ground running for a side that expects to challenge for the title.

The pair faced off five times in Manchester derbies – Stefan Ortega started for City in the FA Cup final which United won. The most recent was April’s stalemate at Old Trafford, and you’d have got long odds on both being out of the picture just five months later.

On a day where their Manchester allegiances meet at the Etihad, Ederson and Onana will come up against each other once again.