Man Utd Team News: van Gaal Confirms Double Injury Blow + Shaw/Rooney Updates

Manchester United will continue their push for the top four when they take on relegation-bound Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

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

The United boss confirmed that Wayne Rooney should play some part against Villa after making his injury comeback with a late appearances against West Ham in midweek.

Rooney has been out for two months with a knee injury but after playing just a few minutes at Upton Park, the skipper is now expected to play a more prominent role against the Villains this weekend.

van Gaal also gave an update on Luke Shaw and says the defender is ‘doing great’ as he continues his individual training work with the clubs physios with the full-back looking to return from a broken leg before the end of the season.

However, it wasn’t all good news as van Gaal also revealed that Ander Herrera is being assessed as he’s a doubt for tomorrow’s game after picking up an injury during the FA Cup win at Upton Park on Wednesday night.

In a double blow, the Dutchman also confirmed that Bastian Schweinsteiger is unlikely to play again this season due to the knee ligament injury that he picked up while away with the German national team last month, but he could be fit in time for this summers European Championships.

van Gaal told the clubs website:

“I don’t know yet for sure, he [Herrera] was injured, but the problem is that we have to recover again within two days,”

“That is a continuing problem, because we have to play so many matches when you are in so many competitions during this season, that is the only problem.

“He [Rooney] always wants to play. Yes, I think he shall receive more minutes but it’s always dependable on the game. You cannot say in advance that I give you 20 minutes or something like that; when it’s possible, I shall do that because we need Wayne in the team.

“I don’t think Schweinsteiger shall play this season – I think, next season, he is prepared. Maybe he is prepared for the European Championship, I cannot predict. It is possible, but then that is also in our favour because then he is fit for the new competition. Shaw is now training on the pitch with the physiotherapist, it’s not with a trainer-coach, so that’s the difference. But he’s going great, it’s unbelievable.”

United head in to the weekend action sitting fifth in the Premier League table and four points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City so they desperately need a win over Villa to give their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League a major boost.