Soccer:Wayne Rooney has provided Manchester United with a timely Champions League boost by taking part in training ahead of tomorrow's encounter with AC Milan.
Manager Alex Ferguson said after Saturday’s victory over Wolves, which the striker missed, that Rooney was “a big doubt” for tomorrow’s game after aggravating a knee injury on England duty last week.
However, Rooney’s presence at Carrington this morning suggests United’s top scorer will be involved at Old Trafford as Ferguson’s side attempt to reach the last eight of this season’s competition at the expense of David Beckham and his team-mates.
Ryan Giggs also trained this morning, after having a plate removed from the arm he broke at Aston Villa recently. But the Welshman was limited to a solo session and Ferguson has already declared the winger will not play.
United do have options, though, with Dimitar Berbatov impressing at Molineux on Saturday, while Paul Scholes scored his 100th Premier League goal.
Michael Carrick is suspended following his late dismissal in the San Siro, so Darren Fletcher is expected to return.
Wes Brown, however, will miss the next four to six weeks with a broken bone in his foot. The news rules the 30-year-old out of tomorrow’s game and a significant portion of United’s end-of-season fixture programme.
Brown will miss Premier League games against Fulham, Liverpool, Bolton and a potential title-decider against Chelsea on April 3rd. The injury will also rule him out of the Champions League quarter-finals were United to progress.
Brown, who also broke a metatarsal bone just over a year ago, would then almost certainly be absent for the games with Blackburn on April 11th and against derby rivals Manchester City a week later.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Ferguson admitted. “He has had a career blighted by injury and they’ve all been long ones, and now he has another. He’ll be out for four to six weeks. I hope to get him back for some of the season.”