Manchester United v Liverpool: Red Devils star Wayne Rooney out of Reds' clash with hamstring injury

Manchester United have suffered a massive blow as their captain Wayne Rooney has picked up an injury and is set to miss the clash against Liverpool. The Reds make a trip to Old Trafford to face their arch-rivals in the Premier League clash on 12 September.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the 29-year-old has a hamstring injury. He returned to training after scoring his record goal for England against Switzerland, which saw him overtake Sir Bobby Charlton as the leading goalscorer for the Three Lions.

The former Everton man trained with the first team players on Friday. However, he did not check in with the rest of the squad at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester before the game. The situation has seen Louis van Gaal short of options up front.

Anthony Martial arrived from AS Monaco on deadline day. The 19-year-old French international and youngster James Wilson are the only two out-and-out strikers in the squad. The two are yet to feature for the 20-time English champions this season.

The United boss can also call upon Marouane Fellaini to play up front after Van Gaal confirmed the tall Belgian will play as a striker this season. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has a major selection headache ahead of the crucial clash against the Merseyside club.

The English giants return to Europe's top flight club competition after a year's absence. They will face Memphis Depay's former club PSV Eindhoven at Philips Stadion on 15 September. The same report also suggests Rooney could miss the Champions League fixture against the Dutch outfit.

Van Gaal confirmed Wilson will be allowed to leave on loan, with an option to recall the player anytime during the season. However, Rooney's injury may delay his loan move to the Championship.

He has three players to lead United's attacking lineup against Brendan Rodgers' side. The Daily Mail claims Fellaini will get the nod to lead the Red Devils' strike force when they face Liverpool.