SOCCER: Wayne Rooney was dripping with sweat as he was finally coaxed off England's training pitch in the Black Forest, and when he flies back to England today for the decisive X-ray on his injured foot he expects to be told he will be allowed to play in the World Cup. Asked if he anticipated good news, he nodded before replying, "It feels fine."
Rooney clearly believes he can defy medical opinion, and he seemed determined to prove as much with a rigorous work-out on Buhlertal's ground, pinging the ball 35 metres at a time and going through a series of drills with the fitness coach Ivan Carminati.
His first public training session since breaking his right foot brought television crews from all over the world to southwest Germany. Away from the cameras, he returned with goalkeepers David James and Scott Carson, and the physio Gary Lewin, for another intensive run-out in the afternoon, with a heavy emphasis on shooting practice.
Sven-Goran Eriksson reported the Manchester United forward was "300 per cent more confident", and goalkeeper Paul Robinson blew out his cheeks in admiration as he reflected on one shot that had beaten him. "It was some volley," he enthused.
Hopes are rising, but the final decision depends on whether today's scan reveals Rooney's fractured metatarsal has fully healed. It is 39 days since he "felt a pop" and crumpled in a heap at Chelsea and, according to United, there is a danger that everyone in the England camp, from Eriksson downwards, has adopted the mindset that Rooney's involvement is all but guaranteed.
A very different viewpoint can be obtained at Old Trafford, where United have emphasised that it is far from cut and dried, a message Gary Neville reiterated last night.
"You have to put this into reality," said Neville. "He's got a broken bone in his body and it is not just the actual break, it's the mental thing. There are other things that surround breaking a bone, such as picking up little niggles coming back.
"People are getting excited because he is training with the physiotherapists, but many players do that coming back from injury. Physiotherapists can do many things, but it is a different ball game when you're actively involved with other players.
"It's a different level of fitness and when you get to matches it's a different level of fitness again. There are many obstacles before we even think of him getting into a match situation."
Alex Ferguson's priority, justifiably, is his planning for next season and Rooney not doing himself any long-term damage in his desperation to be fit. If the latest bulletin reveals anything other than, in Ferguson's words, an "absolute recovery", strong pressure will be exerted on the 20-year-old to withdraw of his own accord. Fifa's rules dictate that, in theory, there is nothing United can do to force the issue, but, if necessary, Ferguson will involve his chief executive, David Gill, who has just been voted on to the FA's main board.
One scenario is that the matter will be deferred again, with another scan already pencilled in for a week today. If so, Eriksson would have to decide whether to gamble that Rooney makes it and send home Jermain Defoe, here as back-up, when he submits his final squad to Fifa on Friday.
Nobody will know for certain until the results come back - this evening at the earliest - but Eriksson is no longer talking of a miracle. "He looks okay to me," said England's coach. "We have to let the surgeons and the specialists have their say, but I'm sure he will take part in the World Cup."
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