De Jong In Contention For Cardiff Visit

By Tom Easterby

Dutch forward Luuk de Jong is back in contention for Saturday's final home game against Cardiff City in the Barclays Premier League (3pm kick-off).

The on-loan hitman, who joined from Borussia Moenchengladbach in the January transfer window, missed last Monday's trip to Arsenal with an ankle injury he sustained in the 2-1 loss to Swansea City a fortnight ago.

But now, having trained with the first-team this week, the 23-year-old could be in line for a return as Alan Pardew looks for a greater contribution from his forward line, with United having been granted a clean bill of health.

"Luuk de Jong has returned to the group, so that's good news," confirmed Pardew on Thursday.

"But other than that, everybody who was at Arsenal will be available."

Despite the Bluebirds' lowly league position, Pardew knows that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's charges will be scrapping for their lives come Saturday, and will not prove to be easy opponents.

"It's been a season for Cardiff that has been difficult," he said.

"The new manager's come in and done as good a job as he can do. I think they're fighting for their lives, I think they need to win, which will make the game open to a degree and maybe, maybe tactically, this game will lean on something else, which is more to do with your character, your personality and how you cope with the pressure.

"Both teams are going play under pressure, and that's what we're going to need to cope with on Saturday."

A small amount of tickets still remain for Saturday's Barclays Premier League home game against Cardiff City. To secure your seat, click here.