Van Persie misses Manchester derby

Robin van Persie was unexpectedly omitted from the Manchester United squad for their derby clash at Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Robin van Persie was unexpectedly omitted from the Manchester United squad for their derby clash at Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Reports at the Etihad Stadium suggested that the 30-year-old Dutch striker, United's top scorer last season with 30 goals, had sustained a thigh injury.

Danny Welbeck came into the team in Van Persie's place, with Ashley Young replacing Shinji Kagawa in the only other change to the team that beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 in the Champions League in mid-week.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini brought striker Alvaro Negredo into his starting XI in place of Edin Dzeko, but Spanish midfielder David Silva, who has a thigh problem, was not included in the squad.