Louis van Gaal has revealed that his decision to leave Juan Mata out of Manchester United's starting lineup for the meeting with CSKA Moscow is purely down to fitness reasons.

The Spaniard is one of two players to make way for the Red Devils at the Arena Khimki, alongside defender Matteo Darmian.

Explaining his surprise decision to bring Jesse Lingard into the first team for the key Group B clash this evening, Van Gaal claimed that he had little choice but to freshen things up.

"I have to rotate," he told the club's official website. "Juan Mata has played almost every game. He needs a bit of a rest. We are always here to beat the opponent. They have a speedy attack and I expect them to play on the break."

Lingard has featured just once for United so far this season, coming on at half time in the 3-0 win over Everton last time out.