Manager and star must begin the healing process

WHEN Alex Ferguson is asked what advice he would offer any young manager, he has a stock reply, the result of his vast experience that stretches back almost four decades.

“Don’t seek confrontation,” he says. “In this job, it will find you.”

And so, instead of sitting back in the afterglow of what should have been satisfactory 70th birthday celebrations, with Manchester United at the Barclays Premier League summit and his own future secure for another three years, Ferguson finds himself fire-fighting once more.

Unless there is an unexpected change of policy, Ferguson will not change his stance that Wayne Rooney was left out of Saturday’s game completely due to injury.

It is simply not in his DNA to discuss internal matters with the media.

But the Irish Examiner understands Rooney was carpeted by Ferguson following a St Stephen’s Day night out with — currently injured — Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson.

Gibson had completed the full 90 minutes against Wigan on Monday — Rooney made a 26-minute appearance from the bench — and there was no mention of an injury afterwards.

So, for the Irishman to find himself sat alongside Rooney in an executive box, whilst Park Ji-sung and Rafael were manning central midfield was an eyebrow raiser.

What happens now is of acute interest.

Having failed to secure their expected victory against the Premier League’s bottom club, United must respond at Newcastle on Wednesday.

“After City we got a response, after Basel we got a response,” said Ferguson in a half-hour MUTV interview with Gordon Burns that was aired prior to kick-off.

His point was that setbacks are an inevitability of life, the ability to bounce back rapidly is what makes champion teams.

To that end, he needs Rooney, and to a lesser extent, Gibson on Tyneside.

If they are recalled, as David Beckham was when he suffered Ferguson’s wrath in February 2000 and was axed for a trip to Leeds, any behind the scenes rumpus will be pushed to one side and all parties would be in a position to move on — Beckham won three titles with United afterwards before leaving to join Real Madrid.

Yet Ferguson mustalso know he is now in a position where Rooney is of significantly more importance to him that Beckham was then.

However, the initial response from both Ferguson and Rooney seems to be a desire to move on.

That could be as vital to United’s season as three points on Wednesday.