Football
Richard Jolly, ESPN.com writer 8y

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial out vs. Watford

Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial will both miss Manchester United's trip to Watford and Louis van Gaal faces a striking shortage as he will be without seven players.

Martial, the £36 million Frenchman who is the most expensive teenager in the history of world football, left Wembley on crutches after his country's 2-0 defeat to England on Tuesday.

Captain Rooney is ill, meaning manager Van Gaal is short of strikers for the trip to Vicarage Road -- especially as midfielder Marouane Fellaini, who he has used as a centre-forward, is still sidelined.

"Also injured is Fellaini," Van Gaal told MUTV. "That is a surprise because I thought he was recovered after the international break but still he is injured. That is a big blow because also Rooney is ill so we have a big problem but we shall survive."

Vice-captain Michael Carrick is another who has been ruled out with the ankle injury he suffered in England's 2-0 loss to Spain, but while Three Lions manager Roy Hodgson feared the 34-year-old had suffered ligament damage, Van Gaal said he had some good news.

"Michael Carrick is also not a heavy injury so he shall play much quicker than everybody has written," he said in a news conference.

Manager Van Gaal, who could choose between youngster James Wilson and winger Memphis Depay in attack, hopes that Rooney and Martial will both be fit for Wednesday's Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven.

"Maybe PSV for Martial, it is not certain, and I think Rooney shall also play then," the Dutchman said.

But he has admitted that Wilson, who has not played since the Capital One Cup defeat to Middlesbrough, is not yet fit to play 90 minutes.

Van Gaal said: "Wilson can play but he cannot play a whole match because he doesn't have the rhythm of the game."

He is also without left-back Luke Shaw, who is still recovering from a broken leg, and right-back Antonio Valencia, who underwent surgery on his foot.

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