Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has opened the door for Alex Ferguson to give the Manchester United team talk before tomorrow's Premier League showdown with Liverpool.
The Merseysiders can reclaim top spot with a draw at Old Trafford, but the resurgent Red Devils are straining at the leash to dent their bitter rivals' title hopes.
Solksjaer himself can also go a long way towards getting the job full time at United if he scalps Jurgen Klopp's Reds, but the Norwegian is more than happy to allow his former manager to fire up the side.
"He would be welcome to have his talk to the players if he wanted to, the gaffer, because we know how much it meant for him to overtake Liverpool," said Solksjaer.
"I think our players know what it means for everyone at Man United."
Meanwhile Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane is eyeing a crucial victory.
The Senegal international scored in the 3-1 win against United at Anfield before Christmas but he expects a very different game tomorrow.
"Of course, it is a dream of every single player to play in these kind of games - and of course, you want to win them," he said.
"Everybody knows it is a derby and against United it is always tough, but we are confident and think we can do it. We are going to go there and try to do everything to win the game.
"It is different [for United] now. They have made changes, changed the manager and he is doing very well, winning almost every game. They are confident and so are we, so it’ll be a tough game and we will see what happens.
"Every single game now for us is very, very big. We know that, so let’s focus and take it game by game."
