Man Utd Boss Confirms Double Injury Boost Ahead Of Spurs + Positive Rooney Update

Manchester United will look to give their top four hopes a boost when they take on Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, boss Louis van Gaal has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this afternoon and he’s given reporters a team news and injury update.

The Dutchman was pleased to confirm a double boost with the news that Ashley Young and Phil Jones are back in contention after recovering from their injury problems.

Young has been out for the past four months due to a serious groin injury while Jones recently returned to training following a foot injury that he sustained back in January.

Both players got some minutes under their belts for the under-21 side on Monday night and van Gaal says they are now back in contention for a place in the first team squad against Spurs on Sunday.

In a further boost, the United boss also revealed that Wayne Rooney has taken part in two training sessions this week after recovering from a knee ligament injury that he sustained during United’s defeat at Sunderland on February 13.

There has been reports suggesting the skipper could make a surprise return against Spurs this weekend but van Gaal has confirmed that Rooney will instead play for the under-21’s against Middlesbrough on Monday in order to work on his match fitness.

It wasn’t all positive news though as van Gaal also revealed that Adnan Januzaj has been ruled out after suffering a hamstring injury but the United boss is confident the problem isn’t a serious one.

Speaking to the media this afternoon, van Gaal is quoted as saying by ManUtd.com:

“He [Rooney] only trained with us for two sessions and then you are not fit to play. That is the big difference. Everyone is thinking Wayne is fit again but it is not like that. He has to build up his capacity to play a match at the level of a Premier League match.”

“Yes, they [Young & Jones] are more or less fit players because you cannot be fit after one game at a lower level. We have a big squad now, we are training with 26 people and we have to adapt to that new situation again, but it is very promising now.”

“Adnan was injured and he is still injured but he shall also come back, it is not such a heavy injury. He is not fit to play in the reserves or in the first team.”

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United head in to the weekend action sitting just one point adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City following last weekend’s win over Everton so van Gaal will be desperate to bring back a positive result against Spurs in order to keep in touch with their rivals.

Louis van Gaal tells #MUTV Ashley Young and Phil Jones are back in contention, while Adnan Januzaj will miss the Spurs game through injury.

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 8, 2016

Wayne Rooney has returned to training but will feature for the Under-21s first in a bid to regain fitness. #mufc pic.twitter.com/UXMG1Kpp7M

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 8, 2016