Rooney and Martial back for United, says Van Gaal

LONDON (Reuters) – Manchester United will have their captain Wayne Rooney, French teenager Anthony Martial and Belgian midfielder Marouane Fellaini available for Wednesday’s Champions League tie against PSV Eindhoven at Old Trafford.

Rooney and Martial missed Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League win at Watford with illness and injury respectively, while Fellaini returns from a calf problem, but United will be without Phil Jones and Ander Herrera, who were injured at the weekend.

England’s Michael Carrick is still not fit, while Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger, who forced the winning own-goal at Watford, did not train on Tuesday to give him extra recovery time, manager Louis Van Gaal told reporters.

“Fellaini, Martial and Rooney have shown on the training ground their fitness,” the Dutchman said on Tuesday.

Van Gaal was pleased with the system used in Rooney’s absence, with Dutch youngster Memphis Depay pushed forward.

“I think how we played was the same system as I played with the Dutch national team, and then he (Depay) has more freedom and these players are so happy with that freedom they can excel and he showed that in the first half,” Van Gaal said.

Depay scored United’s goal in the 2-1 defeat at PSV in their opening Group B game in September, when defender Luke Shaw suffered a badly broken leg.

Shaw has been given four days off this week rather than having to watch PSV again.

“He was fed up with the daily routine and the second reason, because it’s PSV,” added Van Gaal.

“He is a very important player and it is a big loss because he is the best left back of Manchester United.”

Since that game United have beaten VfL Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow at home as well as drawing 1-1 in Moscow.

Dutchman Daley Blind, also present at the news conference, said United had to improve on the performance in Eindhoven.

“The most important lesson for us is that we have to play the ball quicker and at a much higher tempo,” he said.

“We created chances there but we didn’t finish them. We really want to take the three points and we have to prepare ourselves to our utmost best.”

Defending Dutch champions PSV trail leaders Ajax Amsterdam at the top of the domestic league.

PSV won at home to Wolfsburg in their last Champions League group game after losing away to the German side and CSKA to stand one point behind leaders United and level on points with Wolfsburg.

(Reporting by Steve Tongue; eidting by Rob Hodgetts)