Erik ten Hag hits back at Wayne Rooney's claim Man Utd stars are hiding behind injuries with 'desperate' message

After last Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at Old Trafford, club legend Wayne Rooney claimed that some of the players on the Red Devils' lengthy injury list are fit enough to play but are shirking responsiblity. The former captain said: "It is easy for players to stay out of it a little bit and then come back towards the final and get themselves fit for the European Championship."

Ten Hag has been without key players throughout the course of the season, with several facing a race against time in order to be fit for the Wembley showpiece. Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof could return - and the manager believes their desperation to play cannot be questioned.

The United boss told reporters: "You have to see here at Carrington, players are desperate to play. I see Martinez, I see Bruno who did a fitness test on Sunday to play. Rashford did everything he could do, he trained and tried to train last week but couldn’t make it. So players are desperate to play. They want to be in the right shape. You also see Lindelof, Varane - they are training to make themselves available for the final. You do what you can do."

United host Newcastle and travel to Brighton in the Premier League before their final against City, with Martinez, Rashford and Fernandes likely to feature sparingly in those matches. Lindelof, Varane, Mason Mount and Harry Maguire are all battling to make it to Wembley, while Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial are set to miss out. All in all, it's been injury hell for the Red Devils and Ten Hag this term.