When Manchester United lost 4-1 to Manchester City in the derby in March of this year, it felt like the club had completely hit rock bottom.
Despite making a decent start to the game - drawing level through Jadon Sancho after Kevin De Bruyne had opened the scoring for the home side - the Reds fell to pieces in the second-half. Unsurprisingly, then, they felt the wrath of several former players and pundits for the performance after the tie.
The defeat led to widespread criticism of the players and then interim manager Ralf Rangnick, with many suggesting that the squad, even in the midst of an extremely underwhelming season, had let the club down against their bitter rivals. While United were not expected to arrive at the Etihad and turn Pep Guardiola's side over, they failed to even compete.
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City registered 24 shots, United recorded five. City managed 10 shots on target, United could only muster two. City - who enjoyed 70% of possession - boasted over double the amount of passes.
Following the match, Roy Keane, who had been extremely critical of his former side throughout the campaign, slammed the players for their performance, insisting that he was only interested in what happened on the pitch, rather than the 'garbage' that was happening off of it.
The Irishman condemned a number of players - with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford all being blamed for their part in the defeat as he told players that the minimum requirement of a United player is to "put your body on the line".
"We saw all of United’s shortcomings today. The way United lost the game today they stopped running," Keane said on Sky Sports after the City defeat in March.
"No running back, it’s really unacceptable when you play for Man United and I think they threw in the towel. They’re up against a top side but you have to tackle, you’ve got to run back, it was just a reflection of where the club is, they’re so far behind the other teams.
"We hear about problems with the new manager coming in but your own pride has to kick in at some stage. I was getting really frustrated, I can forgive mistakes but you have to put your body on the line.
"Wan-Bissaka, Fred, Maguire, Rashford came on, I could go on, gave up four goals and City didn’t have to be at their best at all. Shame on them.
"Once the third goal went in, the game was over. They threw the towel in, the white flag came up.
"We heard about the Ronaldo stuff before the game, that worries me, the idea that the manager is getting thrown under the bus again, doing interviews before the game and his hip flexor, there’s something going on in the background, there’s no hiding place. It’s a derby game, you’ve got to be switched on but De Bruyne’s got a tap in from seven yards inside five minutes.
"United do show moments but not enough of it. Sancho’s goal was a great finish but after that United didn’t do enough."
Keane, in typical fashion, did not hold back with his criticism of the Reds squad, and wasn't afraid to make his feeling known about certain players.
Fast forward six months and it is a totally different picture at Old Trafford. Despite losing their first two games of the season to Brighton and Brentford, Erik ten Hag's side have been impressive in the past month, and have gone on to win their last four successive matches in the Premier League.
A number of players who endured difficult campaigns last term have looked much-improved this season, and one in particular has the opportunity to prove Keane's criticism from March wrong. With Wan-Bissaka unlikely to be involved against City in the first Manchester derby of the season on Sunday, and Harry Maguire set to be ruled out through injury, it comes down to Fred and Rashford to show how they have improved since then.
Rashford, having missed the last couple of games through injury, is facing a race against time to be fit for the weekend's clash. However, the England international does have a great chance to feature if he is fit enough to play.
The 24-year-old - who registered just seven goal contributions in 32 appearances last term - has been in impressive form so far this season, already grabbing three goals and two assists in six matches.
As well as his goals, Rashford has shown signs of getting back to the player who first broke into the United team a few years ago. His overall play has led to praise from his manager, and was going to lead to an England return, had it not been for his unfortunate knock.
United face an uphill battle if they are to get a positive result against City at the Etihad on Sunday, but if they are to overcome the Blues, Rashford could prove to be vital - and he could also show that Keane was wrong in the process.
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