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Wayne Rooney has not travelled with the Manchester United squad to Brussels for their Europa League quarter-final first leg with Anderlecht but David de Gea and Antonio Valencia could return to the squad.

Rooney trained with United on Wednesday morning after overcoming an ankle injury which sidelined him for last week's games against Everton and Sunderland but the 31-year-old has remained in Manchester.

The United captain has suffered three injuries in as many months and managed just one Premier League start since the turn of the year.

Rooney is contracted to United until 2019 but it is increasingly likely he will leave in the summer after his agent explored the possibility of a mid-season transfer to the Chinese Super League.

Valencia is in contention to figure after missing the last two games with an ankle problem but De Gea is expected to start on the bench.

Ashley Young, another player who returned from injury to train on Wednesday, is not 100 per cent ready to return to the squad.

(Image: Eamonn and James Clarke)

United arrived at a private terminal for the short flight to Belgium, where they will continue their campaign to win the competition formerly known as the Uefa Cup for the first time in their history.

Sergio Romero, who kept a clean sheet in Sunday's victory at Sunderland, will start his sixth consecutive Europa League match.

"De Gea's injury is not serious and Romero every time he plays he plays so well," Mourinho added. "The fans are used to having Romero in goal in the competition [the Europa League] - that becomes the most important competition for us after winning the League Cup.

"The Europa League is the competition we can still win, so when Sergio plays in the Europa League and when we are giving him this confidence to play, it’s because we know that his answer is positive and today he looked like he was really comfortable."

(Image: Eamonn and James Clarke)

Romero has kept six clean sheets in his seven Europa League outings this season and has conceded just three times in his 12 appearances under Mourinho.

The United manager will address the media at his pre-match press conference at 5.30pm.

United last played Anderlecht in the first Champions League group stage in 2000, when they thrashed the Belgian champions 5-1 at Old Trafford but lost 2-1 at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.

Anderlecht were the first side Matt Busby's United ever faced in European competition in 1956.

Confirmed United squad members

David de Gea

Sergio Romero

Joel Pereira

Antonio Valencia

Matteo Darmian

Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Axel Tuanzebe

Marcos Rojo

Eric Bailly

Daley Blind

Luke Shaw

Michael Carrick

Ander Herrera

Paul Pogba

Marouane Fellaini

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Jesse Lingard

Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Anthony Martial

Marcus Rashford

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