Manchester United are hopeful that Wayne Rooney will be back for the Manchester derby later this month.

After his flirtation with Chelsea during the transfer window, Rooney was actually United’s best player in their draw with the Blues in August.

And so it was a significant blow to the Red Devils when he was injured in training ahead of their defeat to Liverpool.

Rooney had been accidentally kicked in the head by his team-mate Phil Jones, and the resulting gash ruled him out of the game against the Reds at Anfield, as well as England’s two games during the international break.

He is also unlikely to play against Crystal Palace in the Premier League this coming weekend.

But Rooney is expected to return to training later this week, and the stage could be set for him to make headlines, if his head wound heals sufficiently for him to play against Manchester City this month.

Meanwhile, Rooney recently took to Facebook to answer his critics, who have been suggesting that he opted out of England duty when he should have played.

He posted a photograph of his nasty wound and said: “Some people seem to be questioning my commitment and the fact I had to pull out of the two games.

“I’m sure people will see the reason why I won’t be able to play. There’s nothing I would like more than to be helping the lads in the qualifiers.”

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