Phil Jones and Ashley Young start for Man United U21s on return from injuries

Manchester United received good news on the injury front on Monday as Luke Shaw returned to training while Phil Jones and Ashley Young started a fixture for the U21s at Old Trafford.

Full-back Shaw, 20, was back with a United physio for the first time since suffering a double fracture in his leg last September in a Champions League tie at PSV Eindhoven.

Fellow England caps Jones and Young then featured in the U21 Premier League match with Chelsea, though Wayne Rooney was not ready to make his comeback in a 1-1 draw.

Shaw's appearance back on the pitch was confirmed by United team-mate Juan Mata, who uploaded a picture of the pair on Instagram alongside the caption: "My friend @lukeshaw23 just came in from running out on the pitch! Getting closer".

While Shaw's senior return may be a little way off yet, Rooney, Jones and Young are likely to bolster Van Gaal's options for the final fixtures of the campaign.

Skipper Rooney has been out since mid-February because of a knee injury of his own and Van Gaal had insisted he would "probably play" an U21s game prior to his comeback for the senior team.

However, his name was not on a team-sheet that included returning pair Jones and Young on Monday night alongside fringe first-team players Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, Guillermo Varela and Paddy McNair.

Jones, who last played a senior game against Swansea on January 2, came through 76 minutes at centre-back while Young, an unused substitute against Everton on Sunday, looked far closer to full fitness as he completed the game playing up front.

Kasey Palmer's free-kick had given Chelsea a first-half lead before James Weir equalised in the second period.