Wayne Rooney misses Midtjylland trip amid injury fears

By Michael Kelleher

Image: Wayne Rooney will not play against FC Midtjylland on Thursday

Wayne Rooney will miss Manchester United's Europa League game at FC Midtjylland amid unconfirmed reports he is out for up to two months.

The United captain was left in England when the rest of the squad travelled to Denmark on Wednesday for Thursday's round-of-32 first-leg tie.

Louis van Gaal is expected to clarify Rooney's condition when he speaks to the press at around 5pm, but an absence of two months would rule him out of important Premier League, FA Cup and European games, as well as England's friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands.

Image: Anthony Martial and Morgan Schneiderlin depart from Manchester Airport

Rooney's absence could mean a start at centre-forward for Anthony Martial at Midtjylland, with Will Keane offering cover from the bench.

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Matteo Darmian is also not involved, as expected, after dislocating his shoulder during the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland at the weekend.

Marouane Fellaini has again been left out of the squad after not featuring on Saturday.

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Donald Love is in the squad after making his first-team debut against the Black Cats while Regan Poole, Joe Riley and James Weir also make the trip.

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Van Gaal admitted after losing to Sunderland that United's hopes of finishing in the top four of the Premier League appear bleak. That places added importance on the Europa League as winning the competition offers a route into next season's Champions League.

Image: Louis van Gaal leads his United side through Manchester Airport ahead of the clash with FC Midtjylland

Squad to face FC Midtjylland:

De Gea, Romero, Love, McNair, Smalling, Blind, Poole, Riley, Carrick, Herrera, Schneiderlin, Lingard, Pereira, Weir, Mata, Memphis, Martial, Keane.

To hear why Wayne Rooney has been left out of the Manchester United squad, tune into Sky Sports News HQ from 5pm for live updates from Louis van Gaal's pre-match press conference.

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