The Belgian injured his shoulder at the Carabao Cup final win over Aston Villa, but Pep Guardiola is hopeful he can return for Old Trafford.
Kevin De Bruyne remains a doubt for the Manchester derby and might possibly miss the match against Arsenal in midweek.
The Manchester City midfielder hurt his shoulder in last weekend’s Carabao Cup final win over Aston Villa, after coming on for the past 30 minutes of the 2-1 win.
De Bruyne suffered minor damage to his shoulder and missed the midweek FA Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola is refusing to rule him out of Sunday’s trip to Old Trafford and will give him every chance to prove his fitness.
“He’s getting better, training and tomorrow he will improve,” Guardiola said.
“He feels better. We’ll see [about Sunday’s game].”
March could be a season-defining month for Guardiola and City, with key fixtures in the league in addition to their Champions League last-16 second leg and an FA Cup quarter-final with Newcastle — until April kicks off with a home fixture against Liverpool.
City are on a five-game winning streak since the start of February, and Guardiola was happy to see his side recapture their form.
“It was a fantastic month for us following the little break that we had,” he added.
“We’d West Ham at home, Leicester away, Actual and then the closing of this Carabao Cup.
“We understand how hard these games are. I believe we did well. There are a great deal of games to play.”
For the time being, all focus is on Sunday’s Manchester derby and it’ll be the fourth such fixture in as many months, with City looking to level the scores at two wins apiece this year.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has outlined his hopes for a’ classic’ derby fixture, and it’s a game Guardiola is expecting with love.
“I really like it. Derbies are unique,” he said.
“The situation this year is slightly different because we’re playing to enhance and finish second, to not win the title.
“For them it’s essential to qualify for the Champions League. It’s crucial to improve what we would like to do.
“I’ve always thought United are a powerful group. The match in the home we lost they played a great 30-34 minutes. Consistently, I have huge respect for United.
“Winning titles and games are very good for our mood and confidence.”
