Manchester United vs West Ham: Louis van Gaal confirms defenders Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling will all miss out

United are in a defensive crisis ahead of the visit of West Ham

James Orr
Thursday 25 September 2014 17:15 BST
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Louis van Gaal makes a gesture from the touchline last weekend
Louis van Gaal makes a gesture from the touchline last weekend (PA)

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Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed that defenders Phil Jones, Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling will all be sidelined for the fixture with West Ham on Saturday.

Fellow defender Tyler Blackett will also miss out because of suspension.

"We have nine injuries and one suspension with Blackett," Van Gaal said today. "The younger players can have their chance now.

"Evans' bone is bruised. Smalling left yesterday's session because he had stiff legs. I won't take risks with players."

Speaking about the 5-3 thrashing by Leicester City last weekend, Van Gaal has accepted that his players are not "robots" and are capable of making mistakes.

He added: "I don't think my players are robots. They are humans and make errors. It's about overcoming things."

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