Manchester United have denied reports that Wayne Rooney has returned to training. The England striker suffered an ankle injury in a training-ground accident a fortnight ago and was immediately ruled out for four weeks by manager Alex Ferguson.

It was not expected the England forward would figure again until the important Premier League visit to Liverpool on December 16th.

But reports emerged overnight that the 22-year-old had been given the green light to start training again - way ahead of schedule - and could even be involved in Saturday's league trip to Bolton.

The news has come as a surprise to United officials, who felt Rooney was still some way off a comeback.

And sources inside Old Trafford have confirmed Rooney is still undergoing treatment and has not resumed training.

It leaves Ferguson with the same striking conundrum for the Reebok Stadium visit - because Carlos Tevez is not due back from World Cup duty with Argentina until Friday morning, while Louis Saha's fitness has not exactly been something United have been able to rely upon this season.