Speaking in light of Manchester United‘s defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, Louis van Gaal has revealed that Wayne Rooney‘s return from injury is on the horizon.
However, the Dutch coach clearly has concerns about the forward’s fitness following his spell on the sidelines.
“He shall play on Monday 60 minutes to see how he is doing,” van Gaal told the media after Sunday’s match, as reported by the Independent. “He is more than two months out of the game. Of course he is a great striker, but he has to show already if he is in a certain shape. It is always like that.”
Rooney last featured for the Red Devils in the middle of February, receiving a yellow card during a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sunderland.
While the forward wasn’t in the midst of a promising campaign before injury struck, having managed only seven goals and contributed four assists in 22 league outings, he’d arguably be a better option than the club’s other offensive talents.
Having offloaded the likes of Angel Di Maria, Javier Hernandez and Robin van Persie during the summer, van Gaal has arguably left him short of attacking options this season.
Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay haven’t truly convinced since moving to the club in high-profile moves during the summer, while their support—youngsters such as Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard—are still learning the ropes at Old Trafford.
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