Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed he expects Wayne Rooney to be fit for Monday's match against Fulham.

Rooney suffered an ankle injury in training earlier this month and it was feared initially that he would be sidelined for around four weeks.

He has missed the games against Blackburn, Bolton and Sporting Lisbon, but is now back in full training.

Ferguson is delighted that he will be able to call on the striker a week earlier than expected.

"Wayne's making good progress. He did some running last week and resumed training this week.

"We are looking at him making his comeback against Fulham."

United skipper Gary Neville meanwhile is set to play for the reserves on Thursday night as he gets closer to a first-team return.