Soccer:Wayne Rooney trained this morning ahead of what is set to be his Manchester United reappearance in the Champions League encounter with Rangers.
Rooney was surprisingly omitted from Alex Ferguson's squad at Everton on Saturday with the United boss claiming he did not want to subject his star striker to intense personal abuse.
Another theory is that Rooney was being punished for the allegations about his private life, although that would be a move Ferguson has not made before in his 26 years with the Red Devils.
However, Rooney seemed happy enough on Monday morning, laughing and joking with his team-mates at the start of United's final training session prior to their meeting with the Scottish champions, Ferguson's old club.
And it would be a major shock if Rooney did not face Walter Smith's men as United look to make a positive start to their European campaign and erase the memory of Saturday's dismal draw at Everton when they conceded twice in stoppage time.
It seems Ferguson will be picking from strength as, with exception of Michael Carrick who is out for three weeks with an Achilles injury, all Ferguson's 25-man squad were training. That number includes Rio Ferdinand, who has yet to make an appearance this season but is fit again after suffering a knee ligament injury at the World Cup.
Ferguson also admitted United will need to “stretch” themselves in the transfer market to cope with a hat-trick of retirements. For the second summer running, Ferguson has opted not to spend heavily in the transfer market.
United have invested in excess of €24million to secure the services of Javier Hernandez, Chris Smalling and surprise capture Bebe, but the signature transfer to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez has so far failed to materialise.
The manager has conceded the retirements of Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville over the next few years are going to present a problem.
“We are not at the point where we have to go overboard to get the best player in the world,” said Ferguson. “There are enough really top players in the club at the moment.
“There may be a time in the next couple of years where we have to stretch ourselves, particularly when Ryan, Paul and Gary retire. Then, it is a possibility we would need to get really top players in to galvanise the younger ones coming through.
“But at the moment we have the experience. We have players who have been through the whole gamut of emotions at this club and know how to deal with it.”
After confirming he is looking past Neville and Giggs as his captain, the return of Rio Ferdinand from the knee injury he suffered on the first day of World Cup training with England means Ferguson has a straight choice between Ferdinand and central defensive partner Nemanja Vidic, who has performed well in the role so far this season.
It is a not insignificant choice, which may reveal much about how much trust Ferguson has in Ferdinand’s body given the number of matches the stylish central defender has missed over the past two years.
Whoever gets the role, their first task will be to guide United past a Rangers team Ferguson has stressed cannot be underestimated by a side who have already thrown away winning positions twice this season.
“We don’t have frailties,” he said. “It has been a lack of concentration in our defending.
“People say this is a mismatch but they said that about Barcelona on Saturday night. Football throws up surprises. We are never going to forget Rangers’ history and this will be a tough game.
“I know Walter Smith personally and he has worked with me twice. I know how astute he is and how good a tactician he is. I can almost see that little brain working at the moment.”
Rangers skipper David Weir does not believe there is any point trying to wind Rooney up at Old Trafford. As an old team-mate of his from their days at Everton, Weir knows the 24-year-old well, and he feels Rangers would be wasting their time trying to make life uncomfortable for striker.
"I am more interested in Wayne Rooney as a footballer and I don't think there is any need to give him any encouragement," said the veteran defender. "He is one of the best players in the world."
Weir still remembers seeing Rooney breaking into the Everton first team set-up and what an impact he made.
"He was only 16 but he took to it like a duck to water," he said. "He scored some great goals; some famous goals like the one against Arsenal that launched his career. Since then he has gone from strength to strength.
"Everyone loved him and it is great to see him doing so well, although I am not sure having played with him will give me any kind of advantage tomorrow."
Rangers manager Walter Smith had left Goodison Park before Rooney made his big first-team breakthrough, having been denied the chance to play him because of his age.
"We weren't allowed to do it," recalled Smith. "But he was an outstanding young player, the best I have seen in my own career. There is no doubt he has made his mark in football already and he has a tremendous amount of football to play in the future."