Injury Update On Young, Rooney & Jones

Louis van Gaal has given a positive injury update on Wayne Rooney, Phil Jones and Ashley Young ahead of Manchester United’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur in the Barclays Premier League.

The Reds' top scorer Rooney has not featured since the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland on 13 February but the captain is edging closer to a first-team return, having trained twice with the squad this week, and van Gaal revealed the striker is set to feature for the Under-21s on Monday.

Jones clocked up 76 minutes for the second string on Monday night during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Old Trafford, where Young also played for 90 minutes under the watchful eye of the manager. Both have trained fully ahead of the trip to White Hart Lane this weekend.

Speaking to MUTV at the Aon Training Complex on Friday, van Gaal gave a welcome update on Rooney but admitted the striker is not yet fit enough to play in north London on Sunday.

"It is very important that our captain is coming back," the boss said. "He 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."

During the press conference that followed his MUTV interview, van Gaal confirmed Rooney must first play for the Under-21s before making his first-team return. That could be against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Monday night, when supporters can watch the young Reds for free.

Asked about Jones and Young by MUTV, the manager said: "Yes, they 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."

While speaking to MUTV, van Gaal also confirmed Adnan Januzaj is unavailable. "Adnan was injured and he is still injured but he shall also come back, it is not such a heavy injury," he said. "He is not fit to play in the reserves or in the first team."