Falcao out of Manchester derby

Manchester United’s Radamel Falcao has been ruled out of Sunday’s derby with Manchester City, but captain Wayne Rooney is fit to play.

Colombia international Falcao missed last weekend’s draw with Chelsea after sustaining a knock in training and has failed to recover ahead of the blockbuster clash with rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

However, United manager Louis van Gaal stated that skipper Rooney will be involved after serving a three-match ban.

Reports in the British press claimed the England captain could miss the match with injury, a notion that Van Gaal dismissed.

“Falcao is still injured. Rooney was never injured. He shall play, he is my captain,” said the Dutchman.

“He has scored a lot of goals against City, the most of any player. I am very happy that he can play, and he shall.”

Antonio Valencia is also set to be available for United after shaking off a hamstring problem.

“I think Valencia is fit again to play,” added Van Gaal.

United’s boss is set to get his first taste of the Manchester derby since taking over in the close season.

With United having lost five of their past six Premier League encounters against City, the pressure is on to deliver a win.

Van Gaal is aware of the magnitude of the fixture, particularly among the Old Trafford faithful.

“This is the biggest derby that I shall manage,” he added.

“It is one of 38 [league] matches we have to play, but for the fans it is unbelievably big as a rivalry and I have felt that also with a lot of the players in the squad.

“But also especially with [assistant manager] Ryan Giggs. When he presented the analysis on City, I felt more tension with him. It was good to see.”