ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE
Stadium: Old Trafford
Louis van Gaal is sure Robin van Persie will have no problem accepting Wayne Rooney as the new captain of Manchester United.
When Van Gaal was appointed United boss in May, Van Persie was considered favourite to take the captain’s armband at Old Trafford.
Van Persie captained Van Gaal’s Holland team at the World Cup and the two Dutchmen have a very good working relationship.
It came as something of a surprise, therefore, that the new Red Devils chief named Rooney as his skipper on Tuesday following the club’s sixth and final win of pre-season.
Van Gaal did not tell Van Persie of his decision to his face, but the United boss is sure his compatriot will have no problem with the snub ahead of today’s Premier League season opener against Swansea at Old Trafford.
“It was not difficult,” Van Gaal said when asked if it was hard to overlook Van Persie.
“I told it personally to Wayne, then I had to choose the vice-captain, then I had to say it to my players. I think you always have to choose a native captain. I don’t think there’s any problem.”
Rooney has captained United on a handful of occasions during his 10-year spell at Old Trafford. Van Gaal believes Rooney has the potential to be an excellent United captain, but the Dutchman thinks the striker must not be over-awed by the responsibility.
‘’I said to him (after Tuesday’s Valencia game): ‘Maybe it was too much for you as a captain’,’’ he said. “I think he wanted to show more than the utmost best to the public that he is the new captain. Then I said to him, ‘Let it fly, let it fly’. It is more important how you perform and not the captaincy.”
Van Gaal reiterated that taking United from seventh to first following last year’s poor showing under David Moyes would not be easy.
And even though United have a relatively easy start to the season – beginning with the home fixture against Swansea – Van Gaal will not expect too much from his squad straightaway.
“It takes time,” he said. “You are not champion in October. You are champion in May.”
United are hopeful of reaching an agreement with Sporting Lisbon over the transfer of Argentina defender Marcos Rojo, who has a 30 million (Dh147.5m) buy-out clause in his contract. No new faces have arrived since United bought Shaw and Ander Herrera seven weeks ago, but Van Gaal is not panicking.
“I want to assess my team first,” he said. “We have to wait and see, because a player you can buy in 24 hours, believe me. That’s not a problem.”
TEAM NEWS
Manchester United
Robin van Persie will not be risked. Michael Carrick (ankle), Danny Welbeck (knee), Jonny Evans, Antonio Valencia (both leg) and Luke Shaw (hamstring) are out, but right-back Rafael is available.
Swansea
Swansea welcome back Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge after missing the friendly with Villarreal. But Swansea boss Garry Monk is without knee-injury victims Leon Britton, Marvin Emnes and Jay Fulton for the trip to Old Trafford.
LIKELY LINE-UPS
Manchester United (3-5-2)
De Gea; Jones, Evans, Blackett; Young, Herrera, Mata, Fletcher, James; Hernandez, Rooney
Swansea (4-3-3)
Fabianksi; Rangel, Bartley, Williams, Taylor; Sigurdsson, Shelvey, Ki; Dyer, Bony, Gomis
KEY PLAYERS
Manchester United – Wayne Rooney
The time has come for the 28-year-old to come to the forefront, with the captaincy now awarded to him. The opening day fixture last season saw a disaffected Rooney come off the bench to star at Swansea. What a difference a year makes.
Swansea – Wilfried Bony
The Ivorian shone in a poor side last term. A repeat of the late header that saw Swansea dump this weekend’s opponents out of the FA Cup will be just what boss Garry Monk is looking for, ahead of a season in which his team have been tipped to struggle.
SPORT360 PREDICTION
There is a huge amount of excitement surrounding the start of another new era at Old Trafford as Louis van Gaal takes charge of his first Premier League game. Despite missing key personnel for the season opener and a comparative lack of transfer activity, optimism is high in the red half of Manchester.
The Red Devils take on a Swansea side coming off the back of a disappointing season, but this team looks capable of goals – and with United's make-shift back-line, this could be a cause for concern.
However, we think a Rooney-inspired United will get the job done today, even if they are not impressive in doing so. Man Utd 2-1 Swansea