Alex Ferguson has announced that Wayne Rooney will return to training today and could be available for the trip to Sunderland this weekend.

The United boss revealed that Rooney has made a recovery from the groin injury sustained in training last Thursday and is set to join a session today in preparation for Sunday’s game.

“We expect Wayne to join us in training and possibly Rio Ferdinand as well…We will see how they do but we have a couple of days. Wayne missed last week’s game against Tottenham to allow the ankle to settle. We don’t have any issues with that now. But groin injuries can be a problem at this time of year when the ground is hard. Hopefully he is okay.”

The news comes off the back of earlier reports stating that the United medical staff had given Rooney an “outside chance” of being available. It will serve as a major revelation to Fantasy Managers, many of whom will have either sold on or contemplated selling Rooney for the season climax…

It remains to be seen just what kind of role he will play at the Stadium of Light but given the situation with the title race, it seems likely that Ferguson will opt to gamble on starting the striker as United follow Chelsea’s encounter with Liverpool on Sunday.

Rooney owners now face a major dilemma. Having been stung last weekend, it’s a tough call on whether to hold firm with the striker given that there are few guarantees that Rooney will come through training unscathed.