Manchester United midfielders Ander Herrera and Adnan Januzaj have returned to training ahead of the Premier League trip to Stoke City, manager Louis van Gaal said on Tuesday.
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United have climbed to third in the table after winning seven of their last nine games going into the match against Stoke on Thursday.
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“Herrera has trained today for the first time with us and Januzaj has also trained two training sessions with us,” Van Gaal told a news conference.
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“They don’t have match rhythm. Januzaj was ill and you have to recover from your illness, not from your tiredness. Maybe it’s worse to recover from illness.”
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Defenders Rafael, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw have returned to the squad after recovering from injuries but Daley Blind, Marouane Fellaini and Marcos Rojo are still sidelined.
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“It’s a problem for me to come through this two weeks around Christmas and New Year, all these matches,” Van Gaal said. “That is difficult now.”
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The Dutchman sent out an unchanged team for the 0-0 draw at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the first time United have named the same starting line-up in 85 league matches going back to November, 2012.
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That was surprising since they had played Newcastle United less than 48 hours earlier and Van Gaal has been a fierce critic of English soccer’s heavy Christmas fixture schedule.
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