Football
9y

Manchester United trio out of Everton trip; Rafael out for season

Manchester United's injury problems have worsened, with Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones all missing the trip to Everton on Sunday while Rafael da Silva has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

The Brazilian suffered a broken rib playing for United's under-21s against Leicester on Monday and will not feature in their remaining five matches, but Adnan Januzaj, who sustained an ankle problem in the same game, will not be sidelined for long as manager Louis van Gaal confirmed his injury was "not so heavy."

Daley Blind is the only one of United's injured contingent who may be in contention to play at Goodison Park, and could offer competition either to Luke Shaw at left-back or in the midfield.

"All the players are still injured, only Blind is a question mark and maybe he can reach that game against Everton," Van Gaal said at a news conference. "Jones and Carrick and Rojo cannot play against Everton."

Carrick, Rojo, Blind and Jones all missed Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, when Van Gaal was forced to use captain Wayne Rooney in midfield.

Robin van Persie, who was an unused substitute at Stamford Bridge and then played 62 minutes with the U21s at Leicester, is back in contention and could make his first appearance for two months.

Van Gaal said he faced a decision on whether to bring the captain of his 2014 Netherlands team back into the United side as he considers whether to retain Radamel Falcao in attack or use Rooney as the main striker.

"He [Van Persie] has to try very hard and he has to play in the second team and he has to show his qualities again and then I have to compare him with the players who can play in the positions he can play," he said.

Rafael, who has endured an injury-hit season, has lost his place as the first-choice right-back to Antonio Valencia and has not started a league game since October.

"It's unbelievable," Van Gaal told MUTV. "He has broken his ribs so he shall not play any more this season for Manchester United. It's very unfortunate."

The manager will be able to recall Jonny Evans, who has served a six-match suspension for spitting at Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse, but the United manager continued to protest his defender's innocence.

"I have defended him and I still defend him, so I don't punish him," he added.

United include two former Everton players in Rooney and Marouane Fellaini, but while he has not discussed the game with his captain, Van Gaal has talked to the Belgian, who has not appeared at Goodison Park since making a £27.5 million move to Old Trafford in 2013.

"I have spoken with Fellaini and Fellaini is always dry in his answers," Van Gaal added. "He said: 'It is [only] a game.'

"Yes, but I think it is a special game for him and I hope the fans shall receive him like the Chelsea fans have received Juan Mata, because I like that very much."

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