Ferguson brushes off Rooney comments

ALEX FERGUSON has opted to sidestep a confrontation with Wayne Rooney – and turn his sights on renowned knee surgeon Dr Richard Steadman instead.

As Ferguson again scrapped his general Friday press conference yesterday, only a very limited number of people got to ask for his assessment of Rooney’s declaration this week that he has not been suffering from an ankle injury, which his manager cited as the reason for his omission against Valencia and Sunderland prior to the international break.

And while Rooney’s statement has been interpreted by most outsiders as a challenge to Ferguson’s authority, the Red Devils chief certainly had no intention of being drawn into a wider conversation yesterday.