Team News: Bournemouth (H)
Manchester United manager José Mourinho says that Luke Shaw and Wayne Rooney will both play a part during Saturday’s Premier League clash against Bournemouth.
The Reds have not played a Premier League match for three weeks, having been involved in the FA Cup fifth round against Blackburn Rovers as well as the EFL Cup final against Southampton and Mourinho may well be looking to rotate his side for this weekend’s encounter.
Shaw, who last featured for United in the FA Cup against Reading in late January, is one of the players in line for a return to the reckoning, with the United boss revealing that he is in the squad for the visit of Eddie Howe’s men:
Luke Shaw, I have good news for you. He is selected for tomorrow so you don’t need to have the guys at the Lowry [team hotel] to take pictures of who is selected and makes the list because Luke is on the list for tomorrow.
Again, it is one step up from not being selected, from not being in the final, from not even being on the bench. Now, like Wayne [Rooney], he’s selected so he is playing or being on the bench. He becomes an option to us again.
Mourinho also commenced his pre-match press conference by dismissing rumours of Rooney’s exit to Everton, explaining why the club captain was not brought on against Southampton at Wembley last weekend and also stating that he would play a part on Saturday:
So Wayne Rooney to Everton, I can only say that in the final with the result at 2-2, with the team in difficulties, with the team possibly going to play 40 more minutes, Rooney was ready to go into the pitch.
So he is not the player you play in the last minute, not the player to give him a gift to be in the winning final, he is a player you trust and are probably going to make him your crucial change, the last one.
The second thing I can say about Wayne is that he is selected for tomorrow with possibilities to play, obviously to start or be on the bench and come in.
Since the moment he decided to stay, to help the team and to fight for the team and Manchester United, he is an important player for us. I think by giving you these two little big details, I am telling you all the talk about Everton, for me, is nonsense.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan also returned to training with the first-team after picking up a hamstring strain in the Europa League tie against Saint-Etienne, but according to the Manchester Evening News, he will not be considered for selection on Saturday.