London : Manchester United is facing an awkward situation of having no strikers fit enough for its English Premier League game against Watford on Saturday. The team’s starting strikers Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial were all ruled out on Friday with injury or illness, while Marouance Fellaini, who can play either midfielder or striker, also has a calf problem, reports Xinhua.
According to head coach Louis Val Gaal, the only striker in United’s squad, James Wilson, is lacking fitness and cannot play for 90 minutes. Van Gaal will also miss the services of midfielders Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia and defender Luke Shaw.
“I think that everybody knows Michael Carrick and Anthony Martial are injured, but also injured is Fellaini. That’s a surprise because I thought he was recovered after the international break, but still he is injured. And that’s a big blow because Rooney is ill, so we have a big problem, I think,” van Gaal was quoted as saying by manutd.com on Friday. “Michael is also not a heavy injury, he shall be playing much quicker than everybody has written.”
“Wilson is okay after the international break. He can play but he cannot play a whole match because he doesn’t have the rhythm of the game.” Manchester United is now ranked fourth in the league with 21 points, one point adrift of Leicester City. Van Gaal also reflected on last Friday’s Paris attacks which left 129 people dead: “We as a member of the sport of football cannot do too much – we can give support in symbols and this is a nice thing for the French people, the victims, their relatives to give them force and strength to survive.”
