Manchester United vs Sheffield United: Will Keane makes first-team squad as Schneiderlin and Carrick miss out

Manchester United striker Will Keane has made the first-team squad for the Red Devils' third round FA Cup clash against Sheffield United on Saturday (9 January) after being recalled from his loan spell with Preston North End at the start of the year. The striker is expected to play a role with the first-team for the rest of the season with Louis van Gaal looking to add depth to his forward line.

According to Manchester Evening News, the forward, who checked into the Lowry hotel with the rest of the first-team squad, could play a part in the game. The Dutch manager could opt to rest a few of his key players due to their busy Premier League schedule, that sees them play three games in a space of 10 days, which includes a trip to Anfield to face arch rivals Liverpool on 17 January.

The 22-year-old forward, who joined the newly promoted Championship club at the start of the season, has been called up to the first-team squad despite only scoring two goals in 22 appearances in all competitions. Moreover, the United youth team coach believes that he will be involved more with the senior squad than with the U21's despite making his first appearance for the reserves during their 3-1 win over Tottenham on Monday (4 January).

Van Gaal, meanwhile, has left Morgan Schneiderlin, Michael Carrick and Ashley Young out of the squad to face the Blades, and the reason for their omission remains unclear as the manager did not include them in the list of injured players during his pre-match press conference on Friday (8 January). Phil Jones is the latest addition to the crocked list, while Jesse Lingard could make his first appearance after recovering from a thigh problem he sustained during the Red Devils' 2-1 loss to Bournemouth in December 2015.