Wayne Rooney Not in Manchester United's Europa League Squad for Feyenoord Trip

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has been left out of the squad for his team’s clash with Feyenoord in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.

The 20-man squad was confirmed on the club’s official website on Wednesday, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba both included for United’s first European game of the season. However, Rooney, Antonio Valencia and Jesse Lingard all miss out.

There’s also no place for Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who will miss the next three games due to a thigh injury, according to Paul Hirst of the Times.

United will be out to bounce back from their loss to Manchester City on Saturday, as they were outplayed for long spells in a 2-1 loss in the derby.

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It was a match in which Rooney struggled to make a mark, first from a central position off Ibrahimovic and then from the right flank in the second half. Indeed, plenty will be keen to see just how the Red Devils fare on Thursday without their skipper.

ESPN FC’s Miguel Delaney suggested the styles of Rooney, Ibrahimovic and Pogba don’t marry particularly well:

We’re unlikely to receive a conclusive answer against Feyenoord, with manager Jose Mourinho set to rest players ahead of the weekend trip to Watford in the Premier League. Per Barney Ronay of the Guardian, the United boss has already confirmed Marcus Rashford is likely to start against the Eredivisie side.

It’ll be a test for the Red Devils, though, as Feyenoord have started the season with a swagger. Former Arsenal and Barcelona star Giovanni van Bronckhorst is the man in charge of the Dutch club, and he has steered the team to five wins from their first five games.

Expect the iconic De Kuip to be rocking for the visit of an illustrious opponent on Thursday.