Rooney ruled out of Liverpool clash as Nani & Anderson return

Jan 11, 2013 5:40:00 PM

The midfield duo are fit for selection after recovering from lengthy injuries, but the striker is still struggling with knee damage, but could face West Ham in the FA Cup replay

Nani and Anderson will be available for Manchester United's Premier League clash with rivals Liverpool, but Wayne Rooney has been ruled out.

Portuguese winger Nani has been out for 14 games since picking up a hamstring problem in November, while Brazilian midfielder Anderson has missed eight games with a similar injury.

Rooney, however, will definitely miss out as the striker continues to struggle with a knee injury – but Sir Alex is hopeful of a recovery in time for the FA Cup replay on January 16 after the player returned to training on Friday.

"Nani is back training and Anderson has been back for 10 days. They will be in the squad, but Wayne is still out. He will start training today [Friday]," Sir Alex told reporters.

"He is not far away and should be available for the FA Cup replay with West Ham on Wednesday."

Ahead of Sunday’s clash, Sir Alex also stressed that United’s focus must remain on their own performance and not those of their opponents, insisting that the form of Luis Suarez should not garner more pre-match tactical attention than any other player.

"We have to concentrate on ourselves," Sir Alex added. "We respect every opponent and Luis Suarez is no different from any other good player we come up against."