Louis van Gaal has warned striker Robin van Persie he will have to fight for his place as the Manchester United manager prepares to welcome Radamel Falcao back to his squad.
Van Gaal is hoping the injury-hit Colombian can finally display the qualities that have made him one of the most feared strikers in world football – especially important for United with Van Persie struggling for form.
Falcao’s loan spell at Old Trafford has been disrupted by injuries but Van Gaal is hopeful he will be in the squad for the visit of Hull City on Saturday.
Asked if Falcao’s return would increase the pressure on Van Persie, who was substituted against his former club Arsenal last weekend having had just 13 touches of the ball, Van Gaal said: “Every player in my selection has to fight for his position, and I shall always take the best of the players and it must also be suitable for the mix of players. So it is also an obligation of a player that he does that.”
Asked if he was confident that Falcao can start to live up to his potential, the United boss said: “I hope so, because we have him on loan because of that.”
It is not just Falcao who is set to provide a huge boost for United, as Argentina defender Marcos Rojo is also in contention after being out with a shoulder injury.
“We have to wait and see until the last training session of course. It’s always difficult to say but we have good news, yes. You have to read between the lines,” Van Gaal said.
“I have to train the last session and I live day by day at this moment. So maybe Falcao can come back in the 18 [match-day squad], maybe Rojo can come back in the 18. That’s it I think.”
Van Gaal said he was happy that United were in the top four despite their injury problems and having played some heavyweight opposition in recent games.
“When you see how our preparation was, how many injuries, then it was a very big test and after the heavy opponents we are still fourth, so I’m happy,” he said.
“But we have to be at least fourth at the end of the league and not now. Now is not so important. We have to improve our playing style and beat our opponents more easily.”
One player United will definitely be without today is left-back Luke Shaw, who has been ruled out for a “few weeks” after injuring ankle ligaments during the victory at Arsenal seven days ago.
Chelsea
Jose Mourinho has dismissed the possibility of complacency creeping in at Chelsea as the leaders prepare to face the side that inflicted their most recent English Premier League loss. Chelsea are six points clear at the top of the table after 12 games and unbeaten in 19 matches in all competitions this season. Sunderland were 2-1 victors at Stamford Bridge in April, and Mourinho said: “Complacency is not a risk we have. It’s not a profile of this group in this moment. We have all the other risks. The risks that belong to football – the risk of a bad period, injuries and unlucky matches.”
Tottenham Hotspur
Uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Tottenham Hotspur following the pitch invasions that disrupted their Europa League match at home to Partizan Belgrade. The White Hart Lane clash, which Spurs won 1-0, was temporarily suspended in the first half following three separate pitch invasions. Uefa said its control, ethics and disciplinary body would hear the charge on December 11.
Arsenal
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he believes Jack Wilshere will “come back stronger” after the England midfielder was ruled out for three months following ankle surgery. Wilshere, 22, previously spent 17 months on the sidelines after sustaining a stress fracture of the other ankle in July 2011, but Wenger believes he will bounce back. “Jack is a football man who loves the game, but on the other hand, he is a very strong character as well and he has learnt to deal with adversity from a very young age,” Wenger said.
Burnley
Sean Dyche said the fact there is so little expected of his Burnley side gives them an edge in their relegation fight. “The freedom we do have is that the expectation on us is so low – outside of our own expectation. That changes the outlook from other teams – there’s a massive expectation on them to win. Virtually every other team in the division – their fans, their manager, their players – will be thinking, ‘we have to beat Burnley’.”
Aston Villa
Roy Keane has left his role as Aston Villa’s assistant manager with immediate effect, the club have announced.
Keane, 43, had been splitting his time between Villa and his job as Martin O’Neill’s No 2 with the Republic of Ireland. But Keane has stepped down from the Premier League club ahead of their trip to Burnley on Saturday. Keane, who had only been in the role since July, said: “Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland and combining my commitment to these have become too much. It isn’t fair to either Villa or Ireland, so I’ve made this decision.”
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