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No Rooney apology from LVG

Wayne RooneyLouis Van Gaal said Wayne Rooney had been too “unfriendly” and refused to let his captain off the hook, after Rooney was sent off for petulantly kicking out at Stewart Downing during United’s 2-1 win against West Ham on Saturday.

Rooney’s red card left United nervously hanging on for the final half an hour, as they sought to avoid another collapse following a 5-3 defeat at Leicester and has casted doubt of the United captain’s leadership.

“I can see why he made the tackle but I think you have to be far friendlier,” said Van Gaal. “He did it too unfriendly and that is maybe his biggest mistake.

“In professional football, you make professional fouls. I’ve seen it happen five or six times today and, professionally, I can understand that.

“But I also saw fouls from West Ham that weren’t punished the same way, so that is a little strange. I have seen other professional fouls without yellow or red cards.”

Rooney will now miss games against Everton, West Bromwich and Chelsea and Van Gaal admitted his absence will be felt.

“It is a great miss because he plays very well,” said the United manager, who also praised his players for dealing with the pressure applied by West Ham in the second half.

“You have to fight, fight and fight and I’m very pleased with the attitude of my players. They have fought until the end and after the match I told them [when you do that] you shall always be rewarded with a good result.”