Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has revealed that the strength of the opponent factors into his thought process when deciding where to play Wayne Rooney.

Rooney has been used in both midfield and attack by Van Gaal since his arrival at Old Trafford, but the former Netherlands coach has said that he considers the make-up of his whole team before finalising a position for the United captain.

The Dutchman told reporters: "It's dependable of the opponent, quality of the opponent and dependable of the quality of his fellow players and if they can bring something else so we can hurt the opponent."

Rooney has scored seven times in 17 appearances for United in all competitions this season.