Positive Update On Shaw & Rooney

Louis van Gaal has revealed Luke Shaw will begin training with a physio on Monday and stated that Wayne Rooney is “doing great” in his own recovery, and will soon play for the Under-21s ahead of his first-team return.

Shaw suffered a double fracture of the leg during the Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven in September and the England international has been working hard on his rehabilitation ever since.

Rooney has not featured since picking up an injury in the defeat at Sunderland on 13 February, but the captain stated earlier this week that he hopes to return to full training in the coming days.

Speaking to MUTV on Friday, van Gaal gave this update: “Wayne is doing great. He has more or less the same injury as Basti [Schweinsteiger] has now. He’s doing great. Today he has trained on a lower level with a little bit of skill training, so with the ball. It's going very good with him.”

Asked specifically about Shaw, the manager continued with another optimistic bulletin: “Monday, he is back on the training pitch for the first time but that's a start with the physio, not a start with the trainer coach. Wayne is already with the trainer coach.”

Ander Herrera missed United's last two matches against Liverpool in the Europa League and the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium with a groin injury, though van Gaal has confirmed he is edging closer to a return alongside Ashley Young.

“They are coming back,” the boss said at the Aon Training Complex. “Young and Adnan [Januzaj] played for the Reserves last Friday in the international break, in a game between each other. So a lot of players are coming back.”

The only sour note to stem from Friday's update was the news that Bastian Schweinsteiger is facing a spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury with Germany in the international break. He joins Will Keane on the list of absentees.