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Manchester United Louis van Gaal manager confirmed in the press conference that they will visit Stamford Bridge without Michael Carrick, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Daley Blind. All four of them suffered injuries during United’s 4-2 win over rivals Man City last week.
"Carrick is injured, he cannot play," the manager told the media during the pre-match press conference at the Aon Training Complex. "But not only Michael Carrick - Daley Blind, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo cannot play. It cannot be worse because it's two players in the left central defensive positions, and Jonny Evans is still suspended. Blind and Carrick play in the holding position in midfield, so I have to change my line-up a lot against Chelsea."
Van Gaal expected Jones and Blind to recover ahead of Chelsea game but has now ruled them out of tomorrow’s game at Stamford Bridge.
When asked more about the injuries to his four key players, Van Gaal said, "They are all from the game against Manchester City. Blind has played on because he always wants to play on, but the tackle from [Vincent] Kompany was of course the reason.
"Jones, I took him off the pitch already because he injured himself in the second half. Rojo, he was complaining after the match, and Carrick was also off. So it's not surprising, but we had a big hope that Blind and Jones could reach this game but they could not."
Shaw, Van Persie to return
Meanwhile, the Dutchman has not ruled out the return of Van Persie in the side. Luke Shaw may also start this weekend as he has made significant progress in the training sessions on his return from another spell on the sidelines with an injured. "Shaw has trained for a lot of weeks already so he can play. Van Persie is another story. This is the first week he's trained with the first team, but maybe we have to think about him."
With both first-choice defensive midfield options – Carrick and Blind - unavailable, Van Gaal may well have to make big tactical decisions ahead of the big game. Wayne Rooney could start in the central midfield again, while Robin van Perise could be asked to lead the attack on his return from an ankle injury.
