It would be an understatement to say that Wayne Rooney will be raring to go when he makes his comeback for Manchester United away to Sporting Lisbon tomorrow evening. After 5½ weeks out with a hairline fracture of the foot, the England forward is straining at the leash, saying yesterday that he is frustrated that Sir Alex Ferguson and the club’s medical staff have made him wait so long.

“I’ve been dying to play,” Rooney said. “I feel I could have played a few weeks ago, so I’m a bit disappointed I wasn’t able to. It’s the third time I’ve had this injury and I’m obviously disappointed it happened so early in the season. Because I’ve had it before, I know when I’m ready to play and come back. But it’s probably best in the long run. The manager and the physios have been a bit cautious - and rightly so because it’s a long season. Now I just hope I can get a run-out and start playing again.”

Rooney’s comments betray his frustration with Ferguson’s decision to keep him in reserve until now. He was disappointed not to play against Everton, his former club, on Saturday, but it appears that he may even have considered himself fit before England’s European Championship qualifying matches against Israel and Russia this month.

Common sense prevailed, however, with Rooney even now back sooner than the minimum six weeks predicted after his collision with Michael Duberry, the Reading defender, in United’s opening match of the season.

The fracture reopened the debate about whether the lightweight design of modern football boots is to blame for the high number of foot injuries, notably broken metatarsals, in recent seasons, but the 21-year-old is protective of his Nike boots.

“There’s been a lot of talk about the boots and a lot of old pros who played the game years ago coming out and talking about the boots,” he said. “But they don’t know what the boots are like. If you had a lad like Duberry stand on your foot, your foot is most likely going to break. I like to be an explosive player and I think that’s why it happens.”

One United player who is happier to follow medical advice is Owen Hargreaves. Ferguson indicated after his team’s 1-0 victory at Goodison Park on Saturday that Hargreaves would return to action, along with Rooney, against Sporting tomorrow, but yesterday the midfield player raised doubts about whether he would be on this morning’s flight to Lisbon as he struggles to overcome a thigh problem. “I can’t say for certain, but it looks as though I won’t be ready for Wednesday because I haven’t trained,” he said.

Darron Gibson, the young Ireland midfield player, is likely to travel to Lisbon as cover for Hargreaves.