Wednesday, 11 September 2013

Rooney's back! But striker trains alone at Carrington and has only 50/50 chance of being fit for Manchester derby

On the mend: Wayne Rooney poses with a fan after recovering from his head injury - he was back in training for the first time today

Wayne Rooney is back in training with Manchester United after missing England's double-header against Moldova and Ukraine. 
Ten days ago, the striker suffered a freak head injury after a training ground challenge by United and England team-mate Phil Jones, which ruled Rooney out of United's 1-0 defeat by Liverpool at Anfield and forced him to miss England's crucial World Cup qualifiers.
Rooney is understood to have returned to training at United's AON Training Complex today and is working in the gym away from the first-team squad. His new team-mate Marouane Fellaini did train with David Moyes' squad today and is in contention for a debut at home to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

United are wary of rushing Rooney back, given the severity of the head wound and he is still some way away from returning to contact training. 
It is hugely improbable that Rooney will be deemed sufficiently fit to face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime, while he is also expected to be unavailable for the Champions League home tie against Bayer Leverkusen. 
The realistic return date for Rooney appears to be United's hotly-anticipated clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on September 22. 
Rooney's chances of making the derby are rated 50/50 by United's medical staff. 
The striker has started just one United game this season, producing a Man of the Match performance in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea at Old Trafford. 
He came on as a substitute in the opener against Swansea, having a hand in two of his teams four goals.




















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