By IAN LADYMAN Northern Football Correspondent

D-Day looms: Rooney fends off Tevez in the cup derby which turned ugly when Bellamy was struck, as Sportsmail reported in January (below)


Wayne Rooney believes he will be fit for a powder-keg return against Manchester City at Eastlands in two weeks' time.

The Manchester United forward is in Dubai recovering from an ankle injury that, he was told, would keep him out of a derby clash with the club who last week tried to sign him.

Rooney, however, is confident his recovery will pick up pace in the coming days and that he will be ready to confound United medical staff and face City on November 10.


His return would add spice to an explosive North West fixture. Last season's Carling Cup semi-final second-leg clash, settled by Rooney's late goal , was scarred by ugly incidents.

Craig Bellamy was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd, Patrice Evra was struck by a lighter, and Gary Neville and Carlos Tevez were in hot water for making gestures.

Rooney is known for returning early from injury, notably in last season's Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. He was told he was out for three weeks after damaging ankle ligaments in the first leg but returned a week later for the return.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, preparing for Tuesday night's Carling Cup tie at home to Wolves, conceded that the saga over Rooney's new contract had not helped football's image.

He said: 'It's difficult enough to deal with the issue of winning matches without having the publicity attached to the club which sometimes doesn't send football out in a good light.

'We want to try to always be a great part of the game. Last week we had a couple of days of unfortunate information.'


Quick recovery: Rooney returned early after injuring his ankle against Bayern Munich last season


City were also given good news on Monday when it emerged that Tevez's thigh strain should not keep him out of Saturday's game at Wolves.

In Manchester, though, thoughts are already turning towards the derby, with City fans preparing banners and songs to goad Rooney.

United chief executive David Gill said City's financial muscle did not scare him, even though they could have signed the club's best player. Asked if he was concerned that City pay their squad more, Gill said: 'Since we've been a public company, we have had a policy that wages should be 50 per cent or less of turnover.

'We believe we can do that and still retain and attract the stars we need. We think that's the sensible model.

'Clubs have other models - that's their prerogative. We've remained competitive.'


source: dailymail