Wayne Rooney declares himself fit to aid Manchester United's title bid
Wayne Rooney has declared himself available for the remainder of Manchester United's faltering title campaign after undergoing intensive treatment on his damaged right ankle.
The Premier League's leading scorer limped out of United's Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford last week after aggravating the injury he had suffered at the Allianz Arena eight days earlier. He missed Sunday's goalless draw at Blackburn Rovers but is making encouraging progress on the training ground and has told Sir Alex Ferguson that he feels absolutely fine and can return to the United manager's team when they renew acquaintances with Manchester City on Saturday.
His availability has to be approved by the club's medical staff but, unless there are any complications in the next few days, Rooney will now almost certainly be involved in a match that could be critical to United's now slender hopes of a fourth successive title and City's aspirations of preserving their fourth-placed position to reach the Champions League qualifiers.
The latest diagnosis will also be good news for Fabio Capello, the England manager, who has been kept in regular touch via updates from the Football Association's medical team, liaising directly with their counterparts from Old Trafford.
Rooney's importance to the United team can be accurately gauged by the manner in which they have struggled in his absence over the last fortnight. Carlos Tevez, his former team-mate, described him this week as the best striker in the world on current form, and Rooney will be the overwhelming favourite to win the Professional Footballers' Association's player-of-the-year award when the six-man shortlist is announced on Thursday.
Rio Ferdinand's availability for Saturday's game is not so clear after he finished the Blackburn match with a groin problem, but it is not thought to be injury that will keep him out long, or to be related to his recurrent back issues.
Ryan Giggs has hamstring trouble and may miss out unless there is an improvement in the next few days. "I just strained my hamstring against Blackburn," said Giggs, who has not missed a derby since his debut in 1991. "I felt it in the first 15-20 minutes, but the scan hasn't shown much [damage], so hopefully I'll be OK.
"This game was always going to be huge at this time of the season; they're going for fourth place and we're going for the championship. Derby days are always massive anyway but there's a bit of extra spice to this one."
Owen Hargreaves, whose knee problems have kept him out for 19 months, was not involved for United in their reserve game against Liverpool earlier tonight but the club say that is because he is now basing his fitness schedule on training with the first team.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...er-united-city