VAN GAAL TAKES 18-MAN SQUAD TO DENMARK Louis van Gaal has named an 18-man travelling squad for Manchester United’s Europa League match against FC Midtjylland in Denmark on Thursday night. Wayne Rooney is a notable absentee from the flight and the manager is expected to confirm why his captain has not made the trip during his pre-match press conference at 17:00 GMT. You can follow updates from that in ManUtd.com's live blog and the club's official Twitter account @ManUtd. Matteo Darmian is also not involved, as expected, after dislocating his shoulder during the 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light at the weekend. There are a selection of youngsters on the plane with Donald Love on board following his first-team debut against the Black Cats. Will Keane and three players who could make their first senior appearance - Regan Poole, Joe Riley and James Weir - are also part of the squad. TRAVELLING SQUAD TO FACE FC MIDTJYLLAND De Gea, Romero, Love, McNair, Smalling, Blind, Poole, Riley, Carrick, Herrera, Schneiderlin, Lingard, Pereira, Weir, Mata, Memphis, Martial, Keane.
Scene-setter: United face a first-ever meeting with Denmark's FC Midtjylland in the last 32 of the Europa League, with the first leg at their 11,800-capacity MCH Arena in Herning. A place in next season's Champions League is on offer for the winners of this competition and it's a trophy the Reds have never lifted, so the incentive is there to go all the way to May's final in Basel. Who are Midtjylland? Founded in 1999 as a merger between local sides Ikast and Herning Fremad, Midtjylland were named after their region – Central Jutland. Read more in the team profile we published when United were paired with the Danes in December. Form guide: United's top-four hopes suffered a blow as Sunderland inflicted a 2-1 Barclays Premier League defeat at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. The Reds aren't in top-flight action again until 28 February, when Arsenal visit Old Trafford, so attentions now turn to this European tie, the two legs of which sandwich Monday's Emirates FA Cup trip to Shrewsbury Town. Midtjylland have no form to speak of because the Danish league is still on its winter break. In their last competitive match on 10 December, the Wolves secured passage to the Europa League knockout stages with a 1-1 home draw against Club Brugge, United's Champions League qualifier opponents back in August. Currently third in the Superliga table, they return to league action on 29 February.Latest team news: Matteo Darmian faces another spell out of action after dislocating his shoulder at the weekend, but Marcos Rojo and Antonio Valencia are nearing a return. Ashley Young, Phil Jones andAdnan Januzaj missed the game at the Stadium of Light through injury, while Bastian Schweinsteigerand Luke Shaw remain sidelined. For the home side, Jakob Poulsen is suspended and fellow midfielder Petter Andersson is doubtful, while goalkeeper Johan Dahlin is definitely out. View from the dressing room: "Our goal is to keep advancing so we can have the chance to lift this trophy, which would come with a double reward. My personal experience tells me that, if we work for it with excitement, it could be a positive way to finish the season, as I lived three seasons ago." – Juan Mata View from the opposition: "Miracles have happened before and we will probably need one again. However, we will not just lie back. We deserved to qualify for the round of 32 and we aim to prove that to ourselves and to our opponents." – Midtjylland coach Jess Thorup Opposition manager: Thorup took charge last summer, replacing Glen Riddersholm, who unexpectedly stepped down following Midtjylland's title-winning campaign. Thorup had just led Denmark to the semi-finals of the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic. Danger man: Born in Uganda but raised in Herning, attacking midfielder Pione Sisto is reportedly on the radar of several major European clubs. The skilful and athletic 20-year-old, who has been likened to Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen by Denmark coach Morten Olsen, made his senior international debut against Albania in September, having hit eight goals for Midtjylland in 2014/15. Sub-plots: Midtjylland's Finland midfielder Tim Sparvis a lifelong United fan and tweeted after the draw: "Unreal! I'm actually going to play against Manchester United. The club I've supported since I was a boy." And there are links between the players: Anthony Martial, Sergio Romeroand Poulsen were team-mates at Monaco from 2013 to 2014, while Daley Blindand Andersson played together at Groningen in 2010. Rivals watch: Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, the only two sides at shorter odds to win the Europa League than United, are at home to Porto and away to Villarreal respectively. The other two English sides left in the competition, Liverpool and Tottenham, visit Augsberg and Fiorentina respectively.
NICKY BUTT APPOINTED HEAD OF ACADEMY Nicky Butt has been appointed as Manchester United’s new Head of Academy. Nicky, 41, is a graduate of the Academy’s famous Class of '92 and made 387 competitive appearances for the Club between 1992 and 2004, during which time he won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, a UEFA Champions League and an Intercontinental Cup winners’ medal. He currently holds his UEFA Pro coaching licence. Announcing the appointment, Executive Vice-Chairman Ed Woodward said: “I am delighted that Nicky has accepted the role of Head of Academy. Nicky has the traditions and heritage of this Club in his blood and he is the natural choice to ensure that, in modernising the way the Academy operates and shaping the new investment we are making, it retains the values and the focus that it has always had. "Manchester United’s Academy is completely focused on producing young players for our first team. As a graduate of its finest team in the modern era, Nicky will bring passion, energy and experience to drive the Academy forward, retaining the characteristics that give us a competitive advantage – namely an unmatched track record of player development together with the runway of first-team action. In the last four years, some 15 Academy graduates have played for the first team, playing a total of 173 appearances – a record of which the Club is very proud.” Nicky Butt said: “It’s a privilege to take on this role. As someone who learned his trade in the United youth set-up, it’s a huge honour now to be given the chance to lead the Academy and to instil its values and attitudes to continue to create future generations of Manchester United players. “It’s a big challenge but I am fortunate to be taking over a dedicated, first-class team. Our aim remains the same – to keep supplying the first team with well-coached, rounded players that understand the responsibility of playing for the biggest club in the world.”
FC Midtjylland - no game in two months, one win in ten before that, and lost 9-1 on aggregate to Napoli in the group stages
Midtjylland’s playing budget for 2014/15 – wages and transfers – was £7m. Manchester United’s wage bill is £203m, so total spend over £300m!
