Van Gaal rules out Valencia

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has ruled Antonio Valencia out of the club’s Capital One Cup match at home to Middlesbrough on Wednesday.

The Ecuador international limped off with a foot injury in the derby stalemate against Manchester City on Sunday.

Valencia suffered the injury mid-way through the first half but continued to play until he was replaced by Matteo Darmian in the final ten minutes.

Van Gaal confirmed the 30-year-old will miss United’s fourth-round encounter against Championship opposition and conceded there are a lot of players in the injury “red zone”.

“Of course, Valencia is injured – that we could all see,” Van Gaal told MUTV.

“But I have a lot of players in the ‘red zone’ because we have had a lot of matches and we have a lot of matches to play. I have to see if I can use them or not.

“I have to decide tomorrow [Wednesday]. We need all the days to recover at this moment, so it is difficult to say.”