Will Keane will be in the first-team squad when Manchester United travel to play Sunderland at lunchtime on Saturday.
The 23-year-old has been rewarded for his fine form at Under-21 level since returning from a loan spell at Championship side Preston. Keane scored five against Norwich City on Monday, before assisting Joe Rothwell’s winner in the mini-Manchester Derby against City last night.
Speaking to MUTV in his weekly interview, Louis van Gaal said that he hoped Keane could transfer his form to senior level:
Yes, that’s the reason we called him back [from a loan spell at Preston North End].
He’s always training with us, with the first selection, and he’s scoring a lot of goals now. He is also in the squad tomorrow and I hope that he shall continue with scoring goals because that is very important for a striker.
However, van Gaal will likely be without three players for tomorrow’s trip to the Stadium of Light. Phil Jones, Guillermo Varela and Adnan Januzaj all picked up knocks in the Under-21 game against Norwich, and the United manager indicated that he would be giving them time to recover:
It’s not looking good because I also let my players play in the second team and various players were injured again. They’re not very nasty injuries but I still have to give them time to recover.
It is a big pity because Jones is a very good central defender and we are missing him and also Marcos Rojo for a long time already.
Bastian Schweinsteiger remains on the sidelines with a knee injury, but van Gaal has given an encouraging update on both Antonio Valencia and Marcos Rojo:
I cannot say Bastian is returning within two weeks because I have given him, more or less, a little holiday as he also has to change his mindset. It’s good for players. I have done that also with Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo and Luke Shaw, for example, when you are injured for longer than normal.
The light at the end of the tunnel is more for Rojo and for Valencia. They are coming back and I hope it’s as soon as possible.
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