Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has welcomed manager Louis van Gaal's decision to give his players Christmas Day off.
Unlike his predecessors David Moyes and Sir Alex Ferguson, Van Gaal has instructed his players to stay at home on Thursday, even though they have a match at home to Newcastle 24 hours later. Christmas Day training has been cancelled and the players will report for duty the following morning at the AON Training Complex in Carrington.
Playing on Boxing Day will be a new experience for Van Gaal and five of the six players he signed in the summer. But Rooney feels they will benefit from being able to spend time with their families, rather than spend the day on the training pitch.
"We're not training on Christmas Day this year because we'll be spending it at home, which will be good for the foreign players and those of us with children," Rooney, who has two sons, told MUTV.
"It must be strange for the new players to have more games than ever over Christmas, having had the time off previously. They have to adapt and be ready for it, while being aware of the fixture list. I'm sure they'll be prepared for the upcoming games."
The omens look good for United ahead of the match. They have only lost once on Boxing Day -- against Middlesbrough in 2002 -- since the Premier League began.
Rooney, however, has bagged just two goals in eight Boxing Day appearances for the Red Devils. The 29-year-old is expected to play in midfield against the Magpies, with Radamel Falcao poised to continue up front alongside Robin van Persie.
Falcao ended a two-month goal drought with a well-taken header at Aston Villa last weekend and Rooney hopes the Colombian will now start scoring on a regular basis.
"It was great for Falcao to get on the scoresheet, and it was a great header," the England skipper said. "I'm pleased for him and I hope he continues that into the next few games."
The 1-1 draw at Villa Park ended a run of six consecutive wins for Van Gaal's team, who are now third in the Premier League.
Newcastle, on the other hand, have struggled for consistency this year. Talk of Alan Pardew being sacked subsided last month after he took Newcastle on their own six-match winning run, but the Magpies have struggled recently, losing their last three games, including the derby with Sunderland last weekend.
"They've had their highs and lows -- they started badly and there were a few shouts for Alan Pardew to lose his job. I'm happy he wasn't sacked and I think they went on to win five or six games in a row," Rooney said.
"They haven't picked up as many points as they would have liked to in the last few games, but it's always a tough game against Newcastle."
"I don't think losing to Sunderland will affect them too much.
"It was a big loss for them in a derby, especially with the last-minute winner but they're coming to Old Trafford to play Manchester United, so they'll be ready for it. I think we'll have to be at our best to win the game."