Mourinho: Rooney out for Middlesbrough, Shaw back in training

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho confirmed Friday forward Wayne Rooney will not be fit to return for the Red Devils when they entertain Middlesbrough at Old Trafford on New Year's Eve.

The 31-year-old captain did not feature in a 3-1 win over Sunderland on Boxing Day after suffering a thigh injury in training on Christmas Day and he will not be ready in time for The Boro.

After being asked for a definite time on the return of Rooney at a pre-match press conference, Mourinho said, "No, but he's not ready (for the Middlesbrough match)."

Rooney has only made eight appearances so far this season - over a period in which he has been plagued by a run of poor form - only contributing one Premier League goal to the kitty.

On a positive note, defender Luke Shaw is back with the squad, although the Portuguese manager doubts he will be available for selection this weekend.

"Luke is training now with the team without any problem, but I don't think he is ready to start the game (either)," Mourinho explained.

The 21-year-old left-back has been out of action since suffering a groin injury at the end of October. This is the latest injury in a string of problems which have seen Shaw miss over 70 matches since joining the Red Devils back in 2014.

"Middlesbrough is the next game and the next game you play to win. So we are going to think about Middlesbrough and try to choose the team that gives us guarantees and chances to win the match," Mourinho said.

"This is the match - it's not West Ham, it's not Reading, it's not Liverpool - so if this is the match, we are going to play with the players that I think are best to play."