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Rooney return delayed



Wayne Rooney is set to miss Manchester United's FA Cup tie at West Ham this weekend - and the home league clash with Liverpool next Sunday.

"Wayne's still injured, and it looks like going to be out another two weeks or so," said Sir Alex Ferguson at Friday's pre-match press conference.

"It's a surprise as he was meant to be back training now. So he'll be out for longer than we thought and I don't think he will be fit for the Liverpool match. The injury is nothing serious. He just got clipped behind his knee. Nothing shows in the scan but he's still feeling it. Hopefully in two weeks it'll be sorted but nonetheless it's a loss."

The better team news from the boss included Nani being "expected to start training today" and Phil Jones declared available for the Saturday tea-time trip to Upton Park. Nemanja Vidic will also "be involved" after sitting out the New Year's Day win at Wigan. "I didn't play Vidic on Tuesday because he played on Saturday against West Brom," explained Sir Alex. "At this stage of his recovery and development, playing every seven days suits him better than every three to four days."

Darren Fletcher's involvement, meanwhile, could depend on the state of West Ham's pitch. "The ground has been really heavy recently and I don't think the pitches have suited him," said Sir Alex. "But we're in good shape now with good options. We've utilised the squad very well in the last few weeks."