Fifa has told England that Wayne Rooney can be replaced in the World Cup squad as late as June 9th, one day before the tournament kicks off.

The Manchester United striker seems unlikely to play in the World Cup finals in Germany this summer after breaking a metatarsal bone in the 3-0 defeat by Chelsea on Saturday.

However, rather than having to replace injured players before the May 15th deadline, when Sven-Goran Eriksson will name his squad of 23, the England boss will have until the day before their opening game against Paraguay.

A Fifa spokesman said: "Coaches will have players who are crucial to their team and who they hope will be fit in time for the tournament and this gives them a chance to recover fully right up to the beginning of their team's World Cup.

"That provision is there for any player, provided a medical certificate confirms the injury."

The news in undoubtedly a boost to English spirits after the news every England fan was dreading.

But it may still be Alex Ferguson who has the final say on whether Rooney goes to the World Cup.

The Manchester United boss is furious with Eriksson for claiming he would be willing to take Rooney to Germany even if he was not fit enough to play until the quarter-finals of the competition.

Barely a fortnight after he erupted in frustration at the hopes being pinned on the 20-year-old to deliver the World Cup to England, Ferguson now feels the expectation around Rooney is once more being raised to unrealistic levels. And this time, Eriksson is the one to blame.

"We will do our best to get the boy to Germany but it will be us who will be doing the consulting," warned Ferguson when asked whether he would discuss the situation with Eriksson before deciding on a course of action.

"At the moment we have to calm people down, rather than build up people's expectation, which is what is happening at the moment. We will do our best to get the boy to Germany but if he is not fit, he is not going to go.

"Sven-Goran Eriksson saying he will take Wayne to Germany fit or not was something we didn't want to hear. Really, it is folly to suggest the boy could be out of the game for six weeks, then two weeks later go and play in the World Cup quarter-final. That is a wild dream.

"All the other players will be extremely fit because they will have been playing and training for the previous two months. Players who are performing on that stage have to be 100 per cent fit."