Manchester United 1-2 Norwich City: Five Talking Points

#2 Returning players provide mixed impact

Wayne Rooney's 500^th appearance for United took an unfortunate turn

Manchester United were depleted in various departments over the last few weeks with the loss of several key players due to injuries. Winless in five games, the Red Devils welcomed back certain influential figures back into the line-up.

Club captain Wayne Rooney, who missed the last three matches owing to an ankle problem, returned to make his 500^th appearance for the club. Rooney was struggling for form this season and the injury might have just proved to be a much-needed refresher for the England international before the busy Christmas schedule. The 30-year old, playing as the lone striker, put in a decent show finding nice pockets of spaces inside the box more often than not. He also turned provider on several occasions and his perfectly weighed balls proved to be a menace for the Norwich defense.

Midfielder Ander Herrera, making his first appearance after suffering a hamstring injury, came off the bench in the second half to a rousing reception from the Old Trafford faithful. The Spaniard, however, looked a little stiff and could never really influence the game as the hosts tried to overcome their two goal deficit.

United's central defensive partnership of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones also came back to the starting after their respective injuries to form a solid partnership at the heart of the United defense. However, they were unable to do deal with the attacking threat of Alex Neil's side on the counter during both instances of the goals.