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One of the Premier League's great fixtures, Manchester United versus Liverpool kicked off today, but it was evident in the eagerly-awaited team news the amount of star names absent in either starting XI.
Combining the two starting XIs today, there is arguably a stronger XI of just injured and dropped players.
Summer additions such as Marcos Rojo, Radamel Falcao, Daley Blind and Mario Balotelli all miss out, as does Liverpool's talisman, Daniel Sturridge.
GALLERY: The non-starting Man Utd-Liverpool XI
Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absenteesShow all 11 1 /11Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Simon Mignolet Dropped after a woeful run of form
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Jon Flanagan Expected to be out until the end of the year with a knee injury
Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Chris Smalling Out with a groin injury
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Marcos Rojo Picked up a knock in training this week
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Luke Shaw £30m left-back is out with an ankle injury
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Angel Di Maria United's £59.7m record signing misses the big game with a hamstring injury
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Ander Herrera On the bench as he eases back to full fitness
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Daley Blind Not expected to play again this year after suffering knee injury on international duty
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Radamel Falcao Colombian striker dropped in favour of James Wilson
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Mario Balotelli On the bench as he recovers from a groin strain
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Man Utd vs Liverpool: An XI of key absentees Daniel Sturridge Has only played three times for Liverpool this season because of injuries
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United burst out of the traps in the contest at Old Trafford, going 2-0 up in the first half after goals from Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata.
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