Rooney fit but faces FA decision
Wayne Rooney should be fit to face Middlesbrough on Saturday – providing the Football Association do not charge him for shoving Bolton’s Tal Ben Haim in the face.
The 19-year-old Manchester United striker limped out of last night’s 1-0 win at Aston Villa after suffering a badly cut thigh in a challenge with Liam Ridgewell.
The England international immediately had an ice-pack applied to the injury and is likely to undergo further treatment this week in an effort to ensure he is available for the trip to the Riverside.
“Wayne took a knock on the thigh but he should be fine for Saturday,” Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed to MUTV.
With Ruud van Nistelrooy and Louis Saha both on the injured list, Ferguson is desperate to have Rooney in his team to face Steve McClaren’s high-flyers – but fears the matter could be taken out of his hands.
FA officials are today due to study referee Dermot Gallagher’s report into United’s St Stephen's Day win over Bolton. Rooney could face a violent conduct charge as television replays showed he made contact with Haim’s face during a brief argument between the pair.
Ferguson has insisted the matter was trivial and condemned Haim’s over-reaction as ’a disgrace’.
But, having already seen van Nistelrooy suspended for three games earlier in the season following the use of video evidence, Ferguson knows Rooney could be heading for a similar spell on the sidelines if Soho Square officials do not share his view of the incident.
Meanwhile, Ferguson confirmed that Gary Neville, who has missed the first two matches of the Christmas schedule with a flu bug, is likely to make a welcome return against Boro as John O’Shea is a major doubt with a thigh strain.
