Manchester United could be without captain Wayne Rooney for their first Champions League group match in two years, Louis van Gaal has confirmed.
Rooney, 29, missed United’s 3-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday with a hamstring complaint picked up in training and is now unlikely to feature away to PSV on Tuesday.
“He is injured so we have to take care of him,” van Gaal told MUTV after their win at Old Trafford. “I think he is very important for us and I don’t want to take any risks so that’s why he doesn’t play today.
“I don’t think he will play against PSV Eindhoven, but maybe he shall play at Southampton [on Sunday]. We have to wait and see if he can play against PSV because we still have three days to go.”
The United captain has struggled so far this season and hasn’t scored in the Premier League since the start of April. However, he has fared much better in the Champions League having hit a hat-trick in their preliminary qualifier against Club Brugge last time out.
For more stats on Wayne Rooney, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
