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Nov 22, 2014 at 5.30pm UK
 
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Live Coverage: Louis van Gaal's weekly Manchester United press conference

Follow Sports Mole's live coverage of Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal's pre-match press conference ahead of his side's match against Arsenal.
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Louis van Gaal confirmed that Angel di Maria and David de Gea will both be fit for this weekend's trip to Arsenal in the Premier League.

However, Luke Shaw and Michael Carrick remain doubts, while Daley Blind is out with a knee injury.

It will be the manager's first match against the Gunners since taking charge at Old Trafford this summer.

Read what else the Dutchman discussed below:


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Good afternoon! Louis van Gaal will be speaking to the media shortly ahead of his first trip to the Emirates as Manchester United manager.

His side head into this match in reasonable form, having lost just once in their last six matches, although they haven't won by more than one goal since their 4-0 thrashing at QPR back in September.

Injuries have been a big problem for Van Gaal so far this season, particularly in defence. While some players could have recovered over the international break, Luke Shaw, Angel di Maria and Daley Blind have all picked up knocks while on international duty in the last two weeks.

United have a potentially tricky run of matches coming up. After this match, they'll host Hull and Stoke in the space of three days, before games against high-flying Southampton and rivals Liverpool.

Don't forget, we'll have live coverage from an hour before kickoff on Saturday, as well as loads of post-match coverage, so make sure you join us them to find out if Man Utd can win.

Right then, Van Gaal is ready, so let's see what he has to say...

Van Gaal starts with a fitness update. He confirms that Di Maria and De Gea will both be fit for the trip, but Blind could be out for a while, although he'll need further tests.

Sticking with fitness, Van Gaal adds: "We have to wait for tomorrow's training session to decide if [some players] are back. My philosophy is that you have to train at least one week with the squad, better two. But if you see our circumstances, we maybe have to bring players back to the squad."

When asked about club captain Wayne Rooney picking up his 100th cap for England this week, Van Gaal says: "Rooney is the youngest player with 100 caps, it's fantastic. His sons are standing there, proud, and the father is proud too. I have congratulated him but he now has to score for United."

Adding more about his squad's fitness, Van Gaal admits that Luke Shaw is doubtful for the trip, but that Michael Carrick should be available.

On Daley Blind's injury, Van Gaal adds: "He has a brace on his knee. After 10 days' rest, he'll have another scan that will say more about the injury."

"It's not as bad as the doctors thought after the match, but it shall be a long story, I believe, but not six months or something like that."

The Blind injury has caused some confusion on the club's social media accounts, as they initially tweeted that the Dutch international would be out for six months, contrary to what Van Gaal has said, but they've now clarified that their tweet was in error.

Van Gaal expands on the other injured players' performances in training: "Di Maria has trained today normally so I don't think that is a question mark, but Shaw is. De Gea is good, no problem. I think I have to wait for the reaction in training with Carrick, but I also expect he's ready to play."

And that's all from Van Gaal this week. Interestingly, the manager stuck to his own team news rather than discussing his opponents.

So that's all for now, but join us again on Saturday afternoon to find out whether Van Gaal's side can beat the Gunners. Until then thanks for joining me this afternoon. Goodbye.

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David de Gea celebrates a Manchester United goal on August 11, 2013.
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