Rojo Herrera Di Maria
Reuters

Manchester United have received a timely boost in the form of Ander Herrera, who has been declared fit to start their game against West Bromwich Albion.

The Telegraph reports that Herrera has made it clear to Louis van Gaal that he will be available for their trip to the Hawthorns, having recovered from a rib injury he conceded during their game against Everton. The midfielder was scheduled to arrive a week later but the scenario at Old Trafford is looking better by the day with Phil Jones, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young all expected to be in the squad next Monday.

The return of the Premier League after a two week hiatus owing to the International break will bring new challenges for United's new look side, with the Red Devils taking on title challengers Chelsea and Manchester City in the space of a week.

With players back from injury, it will give them some stability at the back which has been in sixes and sevens through the length of their campaign. Van Gaal has to make sure that he gets his composition right, having been battered 5-3 by newly promoted side Leicester City in a previous encounter amid what has been an easy stretch of fixtures for the Manchester based club.

United are also looking to organise a behind-the-doors friendly against Burnley to bring Carrick up to speed with the league, having missed a better part of three months with injury. Carrick's availability is paramount to their chances of pulling one over their league rivals, since his presence adds some much needed stability to the midfield, which has often been overrun this season.

United have arguably the best attack in the league, boasting the likes of Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Radamel Falcao, complemented by the creativity and vision of Angel di Maria and Juan Mata sitting behind them. However, Van Gaal is yet to identify the right balance between attack and defence this season, which has cost them valuable points thus far.

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