Louis van Gaal has said that the strong form of Manchester City is not a "big issue" ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby.

Manchester United will host their neighbours, who sit at the top of the table and have scored 11 goals in their last two league matches, on Sunday.

The manager said at his pre-match press conference: "I don't think it is a big issue for us that Manchester City have started well, because you can expect that from a club like City.

"It's not only a derby, but a match that can see who can be ready to go top of the table. Last year we had a very good derby, of course, a 4-2 win, and that is very important for the fans. I hope we can do that again but it is always difficult."

Last season's win at Old Trafford was United's first win in five meetings against City.