Sir Alex Ferguson hopeful of Wayne Rooney return for Manchester derby

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that striker Wayne Rooney is likely to be fit for the highly-anticipated Manchester derby on Monday.

The England international has been absent for the North-West outfit's last two games with a groin injury, but returned to training this week.

The Scotsman also claimed that Rafael da Silva is edging towards full fitness, while there are still question marks over defenders Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic.

"Wayne and Rafa have started training this morning which is good news," Ferguson said in a press conference. "Hopefully, they will be fine by Monday.

"Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic are not there yet but, hopefully, they will start training maybe tomorrow or Saturday morning. We have a little bit of time on our hands to get most of the troops ready for the game."

United are currently 15 points ahead of their rivals at the top of the Premier League table.