Ferguson: "Wayne Rooney's had a bad week"

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he chose to drop Wayne Rooney to the bench for this afternoon's match away at Liverpool because the striker has "had a bad week".

The 25-year-old Manchester United centre-forward was handed a three-match suspension for next year's European Championships after kicking out at Montenegro centre-back Miodrag Dzudovic.

As a result Ferguson has opted to hold Rooney back at Anfield, choosing to start Danny Welbeck as a lone striker.

"Wayne's had a bad week," Ferguson told Sky Sports News. "He was devastated with the suspension.

"When you think about it he'll miss the European Championships and quite feasibly he could miss the whole competition because it is never certain that you'll qualify from the group.

"With all these circumstances, I thought it was better he starts on the bench."

Rooney missed out on United's last trip to Liverpool following revelations about his private life.