The Guardian reports:
'Wayne Rooney has provided encouraging news for Steve McClaren after a new x-ray of his broken foot showed that the healing process is ahead of schedule. He is still restricted to remedial work but is close to resuming full training to provide a major lift for both Manchester United and the England national team.
'He has not ruled himself out of being on the bench for Saturday's Premier League game against his former club Everton or the first Champions League excursion of the season, against Sporting Lisbon in Portugal a week tomorrow. That may be considered too much of a risk by Sir Alex Ferguson, but a realistic target is the visit of Chelsea to Old Trafford on September 23.'