Sir Alex Ferguson: 'Wayne Rooney's injury could help him improve fitness'

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he believes Wayne Rooney will have an opportunity to improve his overall fitness after he was ruled out for a month with injury.

Rooney suffered a severe gash to his thigh in Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Fulham last weekend, but despite being ruled out for four weeks, Ferguson thinks that Rooney now has a chance to improve his fitness.

Ferguson said: "It may be a blessing. He can concentrate on his fitness in the gym now in particular because he's a bit behind other players."

Rooney had been dropped to the bench for last week's match after a below-par display against Everton.