Louis van Gaal praises Michael Carrick after England call-up

Louis van Gaal has praised Michael Carrick after the Manchester United midfielder received a call-up to the England squad.

The 34-year-old midfielder was selected by Roy Hodgson earlier this week to represent his country for England's final two Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania, with Van Gaal insisting that the selection can only further boost his performances.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is currently returning to full fitness after he sat out United's 2-1 win over Wolfsburg in midweek, but is expected to make a return to the starting XI when the Red Devils face Arsenal on Sunday.

"He [Carrick] is a quality player and I am very happy for him when Hodgson thinks he needs him because he wants to play for the national team," Van Gaal told reporters.

"I'm very happy for [Carrick] because he is also able to play for me against Arsenal. He was not injured, I have said that already. It was a minor injury and tiredness.

"He is 34 years old so it is logical that he needs more time to recover as a player but I am very happy with him."

Van Gaal's side will travel to London to take on Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday.