WAYNE Rooney stepped up his comeback from injury last night by completing an hour of a Manchester United U21 game at Old Trafford.
WELCOME BACK: Rooney's return lasted 60 minutes as he steps up his fitness battle
Louis van Gaal sat in the stands to watch Rooney take part in the youth Premier League Division One game against Middlesbrough.
Rooney has been sidelined for two months with a knee problem and his return to fitness is a huge boost to Van Gaal as he bids to salvage something from another poor season.
Van Gaal must now decide whether or not to include Rooney in his side for tomorrow’s crunch FA Cup quarter-final replay at West Ham.
Rooney, 30, is desperate to prove himself once again and asked to have a run out with United’s kids, as exclusively revealed in Starsport. Van Gaal, meanwhile, has admitted he’s in the last chance saloon with the FA Cup United’s final hope of a trophy this season.
Van Gaal has backed his men, who were beaten 3-0 at Tottenham on Sunday, to bounce back from the latest setback and handle the heat at Upton Park.
But he knows he is on thin ice, saying: “Mentally the defeat is a blow, of course, and this is the last chance of a title, so it is very important for the players, club, manager, fans.
“I think the players of Manchester United have to cope with that pressure, they have done it always.
“They know that every game in a cup is a match that you have to win. You must win or otherwise you are out of the cup.
“I think that also West Ham have that problem so I don’t think it plays a role. Both teams have to cope with that.
“Both team knows that when you are not winning you are out of the cup and you don’t have any title.”
United’s hopes of making the fourth spot and the final Champions League place were dealt a serious blow as they crashed at White Hart Lane, to stay six points behind Manchester City with just five games to go.
They will have to deal with the aerial threat of striker Andy Carroll, who bagged a hat-trick in the 3-3 draw with Arsenal on Saturday.
Van Gaal added: “I have seen the Andy Carroll show. At Tottenham I think our problem was also the miscommunication of our central defenders.
“I hope that we improve our communication because it is very important this game for us. And still we have one day less to prepare than West Ham. That is also important.
“We have to cope with Carroll but not just Carroll but with other players - they have a certain player named Dimitri Payet, he can also play, Manuel Lanzini can also play and score goals.”
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