Source: Telegraph
Liverpool v Manchester United: Wayne Rooney injury doubt for Anfield contest
Manchester United forward Rooney, 24 on Saturday, has been sidelined for the past two weeks with a calf injury sustained while playing for England in Ukraine on Oct 10.
The former Everton youngster missed United’s midweek Champions League trip to face CSKA Moscow in Russia in a bid to undergo intensive treatment on the injury.
But with Sunday’s game just 48 hours away, United manager Ferguson admits that Rooney - whose wife Coleen is expecting the birth of the couple’s first child on Sunday - could yet miss the traditionally explosive clash with the club’s age-old rivals.
Rooney’s absence would open the door for Owen, who scored 118 goals in 216 league games for Liverpool, to turn out against former employers in the colours of their bitter foes from the opposite end of the East Lancs Road.
Ferguson said: "On the injury front I can't give a clear picture because there are still some doubts about Rooney and Darren Fletcher.
“Patrice Evra is fit, and Ryan Giggs is also fine, but Ji-sung Park is definitely out unfortunately. Everyone is fit from after Wednesday's game in Moscow.
“Wayne is always desperate to play. It’s the nature of the boy and you won’t stop that.
“But you can’t cloud the realistic part of it how fit is he. It’s going to be important how he does in training tomorrow. If he does train we will have a better idea.”
Manchester City’s emergence this season has intensified competition at the top of the Premier League for the four Champions League positions.
But Ferguson insists that, no matter what is at stake, clashes between United and Liverpool are always the biggest fixtures.
He said: "Manchester United-Liverpool games are without question massive games. That will never change.
“When I came to the club 23 years ago, the first Derby with them was round about New Year’s Day and it had a complete sense of the history of both teams.
“It has never changed in the 23 years. It’s still a massive game as far as I’m concerned and it won’t change.
“We are going into it in decent form, our form has been good with good confidence in our play, but it is a Derby and anything can happen.
“Going to Anfield at any time is a hard game. It’s always a hard game for both teams. It is THE game as far I am concerned and it won’t be any different on Sunday.”
Liverpool are still reeling from the ‘beach-ball’ goal scored by Darren Bent in last week’s 1-0 defeat at Sunderland.
And Ferguson admits that the manner of the Sunderland goal caught him by surprise.
He said: "It was an unusual incident. The goal shouldn’t have been allowed.
“In the spur of the moment, the referee was maybe caught off-guard by that one. I must admit that I thought it was a goal.
“When I read the law of the game that said it was an outside agent and interfered, the goal shouldn’t be allowed.
“But I thought it was a goal and I thought these things counted. Like the wind. The wind can take the ball and you could say it was an outside agent.
“When it happens as quick as that, what does the referee do? It’s unusual for everything.”
