Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal does not expect midfielder Michael Carrick to be out for a long period of time.

The experienced star suffered an injury while on international duty with England. He had to be stretchered off from a recent England game, which raised suspicion that he could miss a majority of the campaign. United have already been struggling with injuries since van Gaal came to the club. This news was certainly not welcome by the Red Devils, but van Gaal has given a positive aspect to the story by confirming that Carrick will return fairly soon.

Other players on the sidelines include striker Anthony Martial, whose form has dipped after a great start to his United career. The Frenchman has not scored since the goal in the 1-1 draw against CSKA Moscow a month ago. Van Gaal refused to get concerned about the goal drought since the former Monaco forward is still a very young player at just 19. The Dutchman has nurtured several young talents before and he says that consistency is one of the biggest problems. He expects Martial to become a big player for the club in the coming years. After stuttering without a victory in the last four games, the club returned to form with a 1-0 win over CSKA Moscow.

“[Martial] Not so long, it’s a matter of time. It’s [Carrick] not a heavy injury so he shall play much quicker than everybody has written. Wayne Rooney was also ill after the international break. I only saw him the day after he played then he was at home yesterday so I think he can’t play,” said the Dutch manager. United are poised will to take advantage of any dropped points by the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal. They remain within touching distance of the top.