Story byDerby day debuts of the Premier League eraManchester City FCThu, January 15, 2026 at 8:15 AM UTC·5 min readLooking back at players who made their bow in the cauldron of a City v United derby day clash in a feature first published last September... Men's Team How can I watch City v Manchester United on TV around the world? It might feel rare for a player to make their first appearance for City in a derby but there are some already in Pep Guardiola’s squad that have done just that. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut before drilling down into recent debuts; a quick quiz question to kick off a look back at derby debuts since the Premier League began in 1992: who was the last player to make their debut in a Manchester derby at home and score?The answer will come up at the bottom of the article, and if you need a clue, he went onto become a prominent politician in his home country. Timing is key for debuts and opponents and with last season’s Community Shield kicking off the campaign, two of the current squad made their first senior appearances against United. After impressing on the 2024 preseason tour of the United States, Nico O’Reilly was handed his first start for the Blues at Wembley. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt was a proud moment for the Manchester-born Academy player as City went on to lift the trophy following a penalty shootout.“The stadium is massive and [my debut] was in a derby as well,” he told the official Man City Podcast.“I got my first few touches out the way and settled down.“I watched the game back and knew I could have done some things better but as a whole I was proud of it.”The Wembley curtain-raiser was also the first appearance for Savinho, with the Brazilian winger coming on as a second-half substitute and having a hand in Bernardo Silva’s equaliser before scoring in the shootout. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementManuel Akanji scored the winning penalty, nearly three years after he made his first Etihad appearance in the Premier League in that unforgettable 6-3 win over United. Although not an official debut, Phil Foden memorably made his first start in the first Manchester derby outside England when the two sides met in a pre-season friendly in Houston. Still 17 and with some growing to do, United’s Paul Pogba towered over him in the centre of midfield, but Foden was sensational and Guardiola was in no question that the Texas fans had been given the first sight of someone special.“You are lucky guys, believe me, you are the guys who saw his first game in the first team at Manchester City,” he said. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I’ve not seen something like I saw today for a long time.