Ferguson preparing to juggle his pack in absence of Rooney

Manchester United have confirmed Wayne Rooney suffered only "minor" ankle ligament damage in the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.

Rooney had a scan on Wednesday afternoon, immediately after returning to the UK.

There is no break, which means Rooney's presence at this summer's World Cup should not be threatened.

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Confirmation of ligament damage does, however, indicate the United striker will be out of action for an extended period, starting with tomorrow's Premier League game with Chelsea, although the champions outfit have not said how long Rooney is expected to take to recover.

"We are pleased to report that Wayne has not suffered a fracture," said a United spokesperson. "The scan revealed only minor ligament damage."

Sir Alex Ferguson will presumably offer a more extensive medical bulletin today ahead of the Chelsea encounter, although a recovery period of between two and four weeks has been mooted.

If the former proves correct, Rooney could be back in action for the Champions League semi-final, providing United overhaul Bayern's first-leg advantage.

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A four-week spell on the sidelines would have him back in action in time to face Sunderland on May 1.

Either way, Rooney will definitely miss tomorrow's game, a match which will shape United's Premier League season.

With his 34-goal forward sidelined, Ferguson must navigate a path through the next few games to ensure United are still contending for honours when Rooney does return.

The most obvious solution for Ferguson will be to place his trust in Dimitar Berbatov.

Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho will also miss this weekend's Old Trafford encounter after also suffering ankle ligament damage in the recent win at Portsmouth.