Eriksson may defy Ferguson over Rooney

Sven-Goran Eriksson is ready to defy Alex Ferguson and play Wayne Rooney in the group stage of the World Cup which gets under way in Germany today.

Rooney will be in his kit and on the bench with the rest of the squad for Saturday's game against Paraguay in Frankfurt. He will not come on but the England manager will not rule out his involvement in the games against Trinidad and Tobago on June 15th or Sweden on June 20th.

Eriksson will even consider playing Rooney from the start if he is convinced the striker is match-fit. The Swede should brace himself for a critical reaction from Ferguson if Rooney returns for a group games and suffers any kind of injury setback.

United will even consider the possibility of legal action if Rooney is ruled out for any considerable length of time by an injury suffered during the World Cup. The two managers spoke at length yesterday but could not reach an agreement on the matter.

Ferguson remains adamant that Rooney should not even be considered until the first knockout round. This stand-off was the main reason for the long silence from United and England which followed Rooney's foot scan in Manchester yesterday.

The striker was back at the England hotel in Germany before United released a statement, claiming Rooney would be fit after the group stage. The Football Association offered no comment until Eriksson spoke after today's training session.

Eriksson said: "The good news is that Rooney has no more injury. He is injury-free. Now it's up to us to get him match-fit and, when we think he is match-fit, I am prepared to take in any specialist Manchester United want.

"I am prepared to listen to everyone and discuss it with them but the last say on this story is Rooney's and mine. I am doing this in the best interests of Rooney, the England team and 40 million England fans. I am responsible for it."

There seems to be no doubt among the medical experts that the metatarsal bone Rooney broke on April 29th has mended.

A greater potential problem lies in the fact that secondary injuries can occur if a player is rushed through his rehabilitation.

A statement from United said: "The expert independent medical view is that Wayne has a good chance of being fit after the group stage.

"At that point, the expert independent medical view is that his participation in the tournament will require very careful assessment in order to address his suitability, as he will not have had the opportunity to play in less demanding games."

Ferguson will be invited to check on Rooney's progress.