West Ham United are hoping to ride a wave of emotion all the way to the FA Cup semi-finals when they host Manchester United on Wednesday (today) in the last Cup tie to be held at their historic Boleyn Ground.
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Van Gaal has spoken about his wariness of Carroll’s threat, while Hammers boss Slaven Bilic has labelled the player “very special”. We know that. Of course we are not going to make our players be afraid of them, no. But respect them.
Rooney played 60 minutes for United’s under-21 side in a 1-0 win against Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on Monday.
“It was also against Arsenal and they have great central defenders and yet still he could do that”.
The Red Devils have progressed the last two times they’ve faced West Ham in the FA Cup, meaning West Ham would go through if the sequence was to continue.
And while United officials have dithered, West Ham have reportedly approached the England midfielder about returning to the club where he made his name. United were 2-0 down from the first leg of their Europa League game against Liverpool at the time, meaning United would have to score four times at Old Trafford if the opposition bagged an away goal. “I have seen the Andy Carroll show”, Van Gaal said. “The second goal is a set play”.
While the mood within the United dressing room doesn’t sound particularly positive, it is their league positioning that is likely to be the ultimate assessment for Van Gaal at the end of the season.
Louis van Gaal’s job is hanging by a thread ahead of his side’s trip to Upton Park, meaning the Dutch manager might have to gamble on the fitness of Rooney.
“I think it’s good to play the next game as soon as possible, on Wednesday, because it allows the team to move on from White Hart Lane and focus completely on the match against West Ham”, Mata wrote.
Carrick has been one of United’s most consistent performers over the years but this season has not been at his best.
He added: “I think when you look back at the Class of ’92, we have always brought through younger players that have come through the ranks”.
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