Rooney likely to escape three-match ban

Wayne Rooney seems almost certain to be spared a three-match ban following his latest red card misery.

Rooney's dismissal, along with that of Paul Scholes, during last night's 3-1 win over FC Porto in Amsterdam sparked immediate fears of a suspension that would rule the Manchester United star out of the Premiership opener with Fulham on August 20, plus the following games against Charlton and Watford.

However, while referee Ruud Bossen has yet to say whether he will note
Rooney's red card in his official report of the game to the Dutch FA, it seems highly unlikely the Football Association will inflict further punishment on the 20-year-old even if the case gets that far.

Indeed, if precedent is any guide, Bossen will not mention either Rooney's aerial attack on Porto defender Pepe or the woeful tackle by Scholes on Quaresma which saw him dismissed midway through the second half.

Three years ago, when Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Neil Mellor were red carded against Galatasaray in the same tournament, match official Rene Timmink opted not to pursue the matter. There is no reason to suspect the situation should be any different this time around.

Nevertheless, Sir Alex Ferguson knows he now has a problem on his hands, if not necessarily curbing Rooney, so crucial to United's chances of making any impact on Chelsea this term, then in attempting to shield him from wily defenders eager to exploit his fragile temper and referees looking for a 'trophy' dismissal.

The United boss felt elements of both contributed to last night's red card, the fourth of Rooney's career, which came just 34 days after he was given his marching orders during England's World Cup quarter-final defeat to Portugal.

"Players are diving and acting so much now we are almost accepting it, which we should not do," said Ferguson.

"The defender made a meal of it, which makes it hard for the referee but he should have done better as well.

"You hope common sense would prevail but that was a ridiculous decision."

Although Ferguson faces an anxious few days before learning for certain
whether Rooney and Scholes will be cleared, the Scot's most pressing concern surrounds his defence.

Having left for Amsterdam without injured trio Gary Neville, Nemanja Vidic and Gabriel Heinze, the United boss has now lost Rio Ferdinand to an ankle injury sustained in the warm-up to last night's game and replacement John O'Shea, who suffered a dead leg.

While Ferguson has only expressed concern over Vidic's chances of facing Fulham on August 20, the growing number of walking wounded must be a worry after the Scot has continually stressed the need for United to avoid the mass of injuries which has hampered their progress in recent seasons.

Eighteen-year-old Northern Ireland rookie Jonny Evans was flown out as cover for tonight's encounter with Ajax and, between them, the red cards and injuries have given Michael Carrick a swift introduction to life on the Manchester United rollercoaster.

The £16.8million midfielder produced an encouraging performance on his debut, setting up Scholes for United's opener and displaying an impressive range of passing which Ferguson hopes will help the Red Devils sustain a stronger challenge for the title.