Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is prepared to withdraw Wayne Rooney from the frontline. The England captain's inclusion will depend on "the balance in the team" and "the form of the strikers" with Van Gaal in the process of building a team of youngsters.

Asked about Rooney's selection by MUTV, Van Gaal said: "It's dependable on how the balance in the team is. I need balance in the team. I'm looking for the balance.

"I hope to perform better because then the game shall be more attractive. I don't know if I shall use him always because it's also dependable of the form of the strikers.

"He's also a very good striker so I can use him on different positions and I like that because I like multi-functional players. I normally buy more multi-functional players than specialists."