London: Alex Ferguson delivered another snub to Dimitar Berbatov as the Manchester United manager selected Danny Welbeck ahead of the Bulgarian striker for Sunday's Community Shield clash against Manchester City at Wembley.
Ferguson left Berbatov out of his squad for the Champions League final defeat against Barcelona at the end of last season and, despite the absence of the injured Javier Hernandez, the former Tottenham star was only among the substitutes for the traditional curtain-raiser to the English season.
Although Ferguson recently denied suggestions that Berbatov could be sold to Paris St Germain, his decision to partner Wayne Rooney with Welbeck, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, is another blow to the Bulgarian's status at Old Trafford.
Welbeck's selection completed a good 24 hours for the Manchester-born 24-year-old after he was also named in Fabio Capello's England squad for the friendly against Holland on Wednesday.
United's new goalkeeper David De Gea was named in the starting eleven, as was another close-season arrival Ashley Young, who filled the left-wing spot, while Phil Jones -- Ferguson's other big signing -- was among the substitutes.=
With Antonio Valencia still short of full fitness, Nani featured on the right flank, while Michael Carrick made a quicker than expected recovery from injury to start alongside Anderson in central midfield.
As expected, City boss Roberto Mancini left club record £38 million signing Sergio Aguero on the bench, along with fellow new-boys Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic.
In the absence of unsettled captain Carlos Tevez, Mancini chose Mario Balotelli as Edin Dzeko's strike partner despite the Italian's recent rows with his temperamental forward.
Teams:
Man Utd (4-4-2) De Gea; Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Nani, Carrick, Anderson, Young; Rooney, Welbeck
Man City (4-3-3) Hart; Richards, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov; De Jong, Y.Toure, Milner; Silva, Dzeko, Balotelli
Referee: Phil Dowd
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, August 07, 2011, 20:13