No Rooney, but Zlatan to return: How Manchester United will line up against Chelsea

Jose Mourinho's likely to make changes for his Stamford Bridge return, with Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovic among those set to come back in

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is likely to shuffle his pack again on Sunday, as the Portuguese tactician prepares to renew acquaintances with former employers Chelsea.

The likes of Matteo Darmian, Luke Shaw, Michael Carrick, Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney were all returned to the first-team on Thursday for Europa League duty – and impressed in a comfortable 4-1 victory over Fenerbahce at Old Trafford.

Chelsea, though, will provide an entirely different test – especially at Stamford Bridge. With that in mind, Mourinho can be expected to put his faith in a tried and tested starting XI.

The back five have looked solid this season, and collected another clean sheet against Liverpool on Monday, while Paul Pogba was back to his buccaneering best on Thursday.

Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford will add pace and guile supporting Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with club captain Rooney once again having to make do with a spot on the bench.

more games: friv

Mourinho bashing must stop - Man Utd's youth clearout is brutal but necessary

The United boss has thus far given no Premier League minutes to Marcus Rashford while he's allowed other prospects to leave but there could be a positive outcome in the long-term

For some, this has been a concerning week so far for Manchester United. The optimism and overwhelming joy pouring from Old Trafford on Friday as Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic starred against Southampton has been curbed somewhat by events which have followed in the transfer market and within the youth ranks.

The decision by Jose Mourinho not to introduce Marcus Rashford from the bench for a second successive game already had some Reds raising their eyebrows, and the subsequent sale of Tyler Blackett to Reading and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson’s loan move to Wolves have further concerned those who consider United’s youth development as central to the club’s future.

Monday’s under-23 loss to Southampton at St Mary’s caused more ire, with many asking why the likes of Andreas Pereira, Memphis Depay, Rashford and Will Keane were not included. Players who are not getting first-team minutes right now are getting no minutes at all, it seems.

For Rashford in particular the lack of game time is set to have almost immediate consequences, with England manager Sam Allardyce admitting he can see no justification to call upon last season’s breakout star despite his positive experience at Euro 2016.

“Rashford is not playing now so it makes it harder for me to select him, as exciting as he was last year and how he burst on the scene,” Allardyce said this week.

“At such a young age, do I say, ‘Go and play in the under-21s, get used to international football there, play regularly there and it will help you eventually, hopefully to break into the Manchester United team and then break into the England senior team’? You've got all those scenarios to consider.”

It all comes after a summer during which Mourinho was forced to defend his record with young players. Following on from Louis van Gaal, who gave over 100 appearances last season to academy products, there were demands for the Portuguese to make the most of the youngsters who had provided the bright spots of the Dutchman’s otherwise-underwhelming reign. A £160 million spending spree later, there is little sign of those home-grown talents.

But the exits of Blackett and Borthwick-Jackson, added to the loans of Guillermo Varela, Adnan Januzaj and James Wilson and permanent departures of Paddy McNair and Donald Love, leave United with only a handful of young stars to turn to this season. Other than Jesse Lingard and Rashford, only Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Pereira, Keane, Joe Riley, Regan Poole and James Weir remain at the club of those who featured at one stage or another last term, and some of them are expected to be offloaded temporarily before the transfer window closes.

Those immediately levelling criticism at Mourinho’s model need to consider the fact that Van Gaal also offloaded a huge number of former academy products. What’s more, he loaned out Januzaj and Blackett himself, handed a minimal amount of games to Pereira, and only called upon Rashford when he had no other option. While the 65-year-old could rightly boast about his decision to give Lingard the chance to express himself at first-team level, the successes of Borthwick-Jackson and Rashford were altogether more accidental.

Borthwick-Jackson will gain more from spending time at Wolves this season than from sitting and waiting for Luke Shaw to lose form. Pereira will be better served heading to a Fulham than spending another campaign tallying League Cup starts and little else. The sight of some of United’s greatest young hopes in other clubs’ jerseys may have people worrying about what the future holds, but they still have a big part to play so long as they can prove to Mourinho that they are ready.

“Mourinho has told me I’ve got a future there, he sees a future for me,” Borthwick-Jackson explained after completing his Wolves loan move. “So that’s what I’m looking to do, gain experience and then start [at United].”

For those still at Old Trafford, such as Rashford and Memphis, they have to trust the manager when he says their chance will come in September when the League Cup and Europa League start to bulk up the calendar. And in the meantime, they must make the most of getting to train every day with some of the world’s best players.

And for Borthwick-Jackson, Januzaj et al there is the knowledge that Mourinho has far from washed his hands of them. McNair, Blackett and Love are no longer Manchester United players but the club is not willing to repeat the mistake made with Paul Pogba when it comes to players they still believe have a part to play.

The bottom line at the moment is that United have made a bid to arrest their first-team slide in welcoming Mourinho and adding the likes of Pogba and Ibrahimovic. They want to get back to winning ways and quick, but that doesn’t mean they will sacrifice the progress of their future first-teamers.

If they approach their new realities in a professional manner, then the likes of Borthwick-Jackson and Rashford will get their chance again. And when they do so, it will be in a winning Manchester United XI rather than Van Gaal’s underwhelming outfit of last season.

Shaw returns to Man Utd training after 10 months out

The left-back broke his leg against PSV in September but is in line to make his comeback for the new campaign after working out under the eye of new boss Jose Mourinho.

Luke Shaw is back in training with Manchester United 10 months after breaking his leg in a Champions League match against PSV.

The left-back has not featured at all since the incident and was not fit enough for a place in England's squad at Euro 2016.

He is in line to make his comeback at the start of the new season, however, and has worked out in front of Jose Mourinho this week as the ex-Chelsea kicked off United's preparation.

Shaw signed for the Red Devils for around £30 million from Southampton in 2014 and had started every league game of the 2015-16 season until his injury.

New signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly have also been present on the training ground, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the rest of United's Euro 2016 players still on holiday.

Luke Shaw sends Mourinho a Manchester United fitness update on Instagram

The Man Utd defender missed a huge chunk of last season after breaking his leg in the Champions League.

Luke Shaw has assured new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho he will be raring to go for the new season.

The England left-back missed nine months of action after breaking his leg against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in September last year.

He was in contention for a surprise return in the FA Cup final but missed out - and was too late to make it into Roy Hodgson's England squad for France 2016.

But the 20-year-old is back in training and will use the summer months to make sure he is in top shape for the start of the Mourinho era.

And he used his Instagram account to say "I'll be ready" along side a photograph of him in United training gear.

He said recently: "Day by day I am getting better and fitter."

Hopeful Luke Shaw Injury Update- “getting better and fitter”

Luke Shaw spoke to MUTV regarding the progress he is making in order to come back to play with the first team before the season ends.

The 20-year-old right-back has been out since September, following his double leg-break in the Champions League. Shaw admitted he feels more confident with everyday practice and is excited to perform before the season ends.

Shaw has appreciated the work of the physios, which has helped him recover from the horrifying injury. “I am back outside now, still with the physios but, day by day, I am getting better and fitter. I am just going to push now, until the end of the season and see what happens,” said Luke Shaw.

Luke Shaw’s recovery has been commendable, 7 months of patience and hard work of both the player and physios has finally paid off. May be not this season, but surely next season Luke Shaw will play a crucial role in Manchester United’s squad. At the beginning of the season, he did earn his place in first team by proving his worth as an attacking full-back.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal defends methods, philosophy and results

Louis van Gaal has defended his methods, philosophy and results as Manchester United prepare for a week that could determine the manager's future.

It seemed the Reds had turned the corner and belatedly found some consistency, with a four-match winning run complemented by home-grown teenager Marcus Rashford's remarkable emergence.

The feel-good factor at Old Trafford has proved short-lived, though, with United's Champions League hopes seriously dented by back-to-back losses.

Sunday's uninspiring 1-0 defeat at West Brom diminished their top-four hopes and a tepid display at Anfield saw the Reds' chances of qualifying through the Europa League narrow on Thursday.

Turning around the 2-0 last-16 loss is a big ask when Liverpool arrive for the second leg - a match bookended by a Premier League trip to rivals Manchester City and, firstly, an FA Cup quarter-final at home to West Ham.

Those matches could go a long way to determining under-fire Van Gaal's future, even if the Dutchman did not want to talk about it ahead of Sunday's match.

"I don't want to discuss that with you because you are not part of the people who will determine," Van Gaal said.

"This (defeat to Liverpool) of course gives us much more pressure.

"We are in three competitions and after the defeat in Midjytlland you have sacked me already and then we are standing up, and then we are in the next round and it is possible also against Liverpool.

"We have to play that match for the second time and then at home and then we create that atmosphere and then maybe we score some goals. It shall be very difficult, I know that, but it is possible.

"It is not impossible. Against West Ham United, it is also possible. At Old Trafford, we (would) normally win our games."

Van Gaal bristled when asked how many times United had played the way he wanted - "you are now very negative" - and rejected the accusation that United had fallen short in his time at the helm.

"I think it is working," he said. "The style is also working.

"It is not giving the best results. It is not good enough when you think you have to be a champion. Or win the Euro League or the FA Cup.

"It is still possible, but when you see this game (against Liverpool), you can say what you are saying but when you analyse what we have done this season and the other season, then you cannot say that.

"I cannot change your mind because you are thinking (it already) otherwise you don't put the question to me."

Juan Mata will miss the quarter-final through suspension.

Jesse Lingard returns to the squad having served a ban in the clash with Liverpool, while Adnan Januzaj and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are available having been ineligible for Thursday's match.

Wayne Rooney (knee), Luke Shaw (leg), Ashley Young (groin/pelvis) and Will Keane (groin) remain absent, but Antonio Valencia, Phil Jones and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson are nearing a return.

Meanwhile, Slaven Bilic claims Michail Antonio is a shining example of the gems available in the lower leagues.

The 25-year-old was a surprise B£7million deadline-day arrival at West Ham, having finally reached the top flight via Reading, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest.

Antonio had to bide his time to make an impact at Upton Park with just one brief substitute appearance in his first three months at the club.

But a spate of injuries gave the winger his chance and he has grabbed it with both hands, scoring seven goals and becoming one of West Ham's key figures in their rise to fifth in the Premier League.

Antonio could even cap a dream first season at the club with a Wembley appearance if they can get past United at Old Trafford.

And Bilic believes there are plenty more players capable of following the likes of Antonio and Leicester's Jamie Vardy up the football pyramid.

"There are, definitely, it's not only him," said the Hammers boss. "There are a few players. We also have Sam Byram who came few months ago and is doing great.

"Antonio is the biggest example for all the guys playing in lower divisions. Not to mention Jamie Vardy. There are definitely some really good players especially if you surround them with more quality players, like Antonio is.

"He benefits from that and we benefit from that situation. And he deserves it."

Enner Valencia, Victor Moses and Joey O'Brien are available for the tie.

Valencia has recovered from a sprained ankle, Moses is fit after a quad injury and O'Brien has shaken off hamstring trouble.

Winston Reid is close to returning after a hamstring problem but the Old Trafford clash is likely to come too soon, while fellow defenders James Tomkins (calf) and James Collins (hamstring) are still injured and Sam Byram is cup-tied.

Manchester United vs. West Ham 2016 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch FA Cup online

West Ham have gotten into a habit of toppling giants this season, and they might again in the FA Cup.

The FA Cup is churning along, and with Manchester United desperate to havesomething to be happy about this season, this is a chance for them to work off some stress and get a much needed boost in confidence and head towards a concrete, positive goal to accomplish this season. Except this won't be that easy, because West Ham have picked up a reputation for knocking down the big teams in the Premier League this season, and now they have a chance to do it again.

Time and again, Slaven Bilic's squad has risen to the occasion and put on a memorable performance against teams that no one gave them a chance against, winning game after game while giving the titans of the league bloody noses and split lips. This is a chance for them to do it again, and with higher stakes than just your average Premier League matchday on the line. If they can knock Manchester United out of the FA Cup, that will be quite a feather in West Ham's cap.

Key player -- Dimitri Payet (West Ham)

When he's been healthy, Payet has been a singular force in English football, an attacking force both in terms of chance creation for his teammates and in scoring some pretty spectacular goals himself. He's an incredible talent and Manchester United don't really have much in the way of a player who's sure to stop him, and if they can't so much as slow him down then they're in a heaping mountain of trouble.

Key matchup -- Ander Herrera (Manchester United) vs. Pedro Obiang (West Ham)

Obiang's playing time has been as inconsistent as his form this season, but the young Spanish midfielder has been eye-openingly impressive at times. With as strong and athletic as he is, he's capable of doing some very impressive things in the defensive phase of midfield play, something West Ham will need in order to keep Herrera and Manchester's possession game in check. The more he can harry and keep pressure on Herrera, the better chance that West Ham can force mistakes from Manchester's midfield and, hopefully, punish them for those mistakes.

Manchester United injuries and suspensions

Out: Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young, Will Keane, Luke Shaw In doubt: Phil Jones, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

West Ham United injuries and suspensions

Out: James Collins, Winston Reid, James Tomkins, Carl Jenkinson In doubt: Victor Moses, Enner Valencia, Joey O'Brien

Match Date/Time: Sunday, noon ET, 4 p.m. local

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

TV: Fox Sports 1 (U.S. - English), Fox Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), BT Sport 2 (U.K.)

Online: Fox Soccer 2 Go, Fox Sports Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)