WAYNE ROONEY & ROJO OUT FOR WEST HAM GAME DUE TO INJURY

Louis van Gaal has told MUTV that Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Marcos Rojo are both injured for Saturday’s Barclays Premier League encounter with West Ham at Old Trafford.

Rooney sustained an ankle problem during last weekend’s 1-1 draw against Leicester City and is unavailable to face the Hammers. That means the captain will have to wait to register his 500th Reds appearance, an impressive landmark that only nine other United players have achieved. 

Van Gaal also confirmed that Rojo dislocated his shoulder in training on Wednesday and is facing a spell on the sidelines, though the duration is still unclear. The Argentina international suffered the same injury during last season’s Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium and missed around four weeks of action.

"It was already in the media – Rojo has been injured," the boss told MUTV during his pre-match interview at the Aon Training Complex on Friday. "It’s his shoulder, the same as last year, in a training session. It’s very unfortunate, also in the position of Luke Shaw, so I have a great problem. 

"Also the injury of Wayne Rooney is more heavy [serious] than we thought, so neither can play. That’s it I think. Jesse Lingard is coming back which is good news. Phil Jones is still injured so we have six injuries."

Quizzed further on Rooney, van Gaal said: "It’s a nasty injury. It’s been getting worse but we have to let him train to make the ankle stronger, that’s very important. I cannot say [how long he's out for] because the doctor shall decide that with Wayne of course. He is training well in the rehabilitation."

Van Gaal also confirmed Ander Herrera is still injured and will not face West Ham. Antonio Valencia is United's other absentee as the Ecuador international continues to recover from recent foot surgery. 

With Rojo and Shaw both injured, leaving United with a shortage of left-backs, the manager was asked whether he will field three centre-backs like he did at Leicester last weekend. "It’s dependable on the opponent," the Dutchman said. "It’s also dependable on the shape of the players, I have to compare."

Latest team news: The situation will be clarified at Friday's pre-match press conference but for now, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Jesse Lingard and Ander Herrera are all doubtful, while Wayne Rooney came off during the second half at Leicester after picking up a knock. Marouane Fellaini is back in contention after playing 90 minutes and impressing for the Under-21s on Monday. Antonio Valencia is sidelined with a foot injury, alongside long-term absentee Luke Shaw. The Hammers will be without top scorer Dimitri Payet, who is out until February with an ankle problem, while striker Diafra Sakho, who picked up a thigh injury against West Bromwich Albion last weekend, and Ecuadorian forward Enner Valencia (ankle) are also confirmed absentees.

Legend's view: "West Ham are there for the taking. We don’t concede a lot of goals and if we can improve our attacking form, scoring a couple of goals here and there will be enough to win these games." – Alex Stepney. 

Trivia: West Ham haven’t won at Old Trafford since Carlos Tevez scored the winner in the last game of the 2006/07 season, saving the Hammers from the drop. Since then, United have won all seven of these fixtures in the league. It's a game that normally guarantees goals, as there hasn’t been a 0-0 draw either home or away since the Reds visited Upton Park in August 1998.

Danger man: With Payet and Sakho both missing for West Ham, Manuel Lanzini, on loan from Al Jazira Club, will be looking to add to his four goals in the league this season. The Argentinian attacking midfielder, who idolises ex-Hammers and United forward Tevez, has experienced a fine start to the season, proving to be a key cog in the early success for Bilic's side.

Referee: FIFA official Mark Clattenburg takes charge of a United game for the third time this season; he was also on duty for the Reds' 3-2 win at Southampton in September and the goalless draw in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in October. The Durham-born official has shown 42 yellow cards and awarded four penalties in 11 Premier League games this season.

Rivals watch: League leaders Man City travel to Stoke City for Saturday's 12:45 GMT game, before second-placed Leicester also play away, against Swansea City at 15:00 GMT. At the same time, fourth-placed Arsenal welcome Sunderland to the Emirates Stadium.