Wayne Rooney 'angry' with Louis van Gaal, but Manchester United captain was 'losing balls' in the second half

Manchester United skipper made first appearance for two months in 1-0 win over Aston Villa

Wayne Rooney after being substituted (Getty)

Wayne Rooney was angry with Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal for taking him off on his return to action on Saturday.

Rooney was playing his first game for over two months but was substituted after 67 minutes in the 1-0 win over Aston Villa.

His performance up until that point had been impressive, with the Manchester United captain starting the move that led to the only goal of the game, scored by Marcus Rashford after 32 minutes.

Speaking after the match, Van Gaal revealed Rooney was angered by the decision to take him off but the Manchester United manager insisted it was the right thing to do.

"He was angry on me because he wanted to play 90 minutes," said van Gaal. "But you could see he was losing balls – he hadn't played for a long time and three days training is not enough.

"He was very good in the first half but not so much in the second. It is not surprising because the rhythm in the Premier League is very high and he has not built up his capacity. But I am not upset with him, it shows good spirit when you want to play 90 minutes."

Marcus Rashford scores against Aston Villa (Getty)

Van Gaal also credited Rooney, making his first appearance since February 13, for the goal.

"It was also Rooney's goal I think," said van Gaal. "It was his switch of play."

The result at Old Trafford kept Manchester United in touch with Manchester City who moved up to third and Arsenal in fourth, however for Aston Villa it confirmed their relegation