Wayne Rooney Injury: Updates on Manchester United Star's Hamstring and Return

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney, as expected, returned to the Red Devils' starting line-up for Sunday's clash with Southampton.

Rooney had been absent since he was forced to miss Liverpool's visit to Old Trafford due to a hamstring injury suffered in training.

However, manager Louis van Gaal said during Friday's press conference his captain would be back, and he was true to his word as Rooney featured among the starting XI at St Mary's.

The loss of the playmaking forward undoubtedly hurt United. They may have beaten Liverpool without him, but Marouane Fellaini struggled in an unfamiliar striking role.

United visited PSV days later in the Champions League and were profligate against a side they really should have beaten.

Van Gaal used Rooney in a number of roles in the 2014-15 Premier League season, often playing him much deeper than his normal striker role. However, he still netted 12 times and provided five assists, per WhoScored.com.

As a captain and leader, Rooney is key both on and off the pitch, and Van Gaal will hope he can now pair him with Anthony Martial to form a new strike partnership at Old Trafford.