Louis van Gaal has declared Wayne Rooney fit and ready to fire Manchester United to victory in tomorrow's derby at the Etihad Stadium.

For the past three games Rooney has sat in the stands wearing a glum expression as United played on without him.

But now that his three-match suspension is up, Rooney has returned to the United squad - and the timing could not have been better.

With Radamel Falcao out because of an injury he sustained in training, Rooney will take centre stage up front in a fixture he loves.

Rooney has scored 11 goals in 21 Manchester derbies, so Van Gaal is delighted to have his captain back.

The United manager thought about reminding Rooney of his status as this fixture's record scorer, but he quickly decided against it.

He is convinced his captain needs no motivation to put on a stellar show this weekend.

"I have heard that also he has scored a lot of goals against Manchester City, the most of any player," said Van Gaal of Rooney, whose most spectacular strike against City came in February, 2011, when he produced a stunning overhead kick winner.

"I said that to him to stimulate him but he doesn't need that. I am very happy that he can play again and he shall play."

Van Gaal dismissed the idea that he was taking a risk by fielding Rooney, laughing off claims the England captain was suffering from a foot injury.

Rooney was alleged to be limping at a United sponsor's event at Old Trafford on Monday, but Van Gaal insists that was not the case.

Van Gaal said: "Rooney was not injured. The media was writing that, but he was never injured. Maybe his shoes were too tight, that is possible. But he was never injured and he shall play. He is my captain."

The absence of Colombia forward Falcao is a blow to Van Gaal, but he is fortunate to have other players coming into form at the right time.

Adnan Januzaj played superbly against Chelsea last weekend and Robin van Persie will take confidence from bagging the injury-time goal which handed United a vital point against the league leaders.

United appear to be on the up, but the same cannot be said for their 'noisy neighbours' five miles across town. Manuel Pellegrini's team stretched their winless streak to three matches on Wednesday when they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Newcastle.