Manchester United boss David Moyes admits Wayne Rooney's fitness problems means any fans' reaction is no longer a factor.
Rooney will miss Rio Ferdinand's testimonial game against Seville with a shoulder injury - and is unlikely to be fit for Sunday's Community Shield clash against Wigan.
Moyes said: "There is nothing else I can tell you about Wayne except he has got a shoulder injury. I don't know whether he will be fit for Friday.
"It is not a serious one and it won't keep him out for a long time.
"As for Sunday, the problem we've got is that he has not played any games, he's not had any football, so we need to take that into consideration.
"Is his fitness more concern than his future? Yes.
"We're trying to get Wayne into a condition where he is ready to play. I've got to say he came back in good condition, trained well, but he's picked up a couple of injuries.
"I have not asked Wayne about it [Chelsea's interest] recently. But I don't need to convince anybody to play for Manchester United."
Asked about concerns of the crowd reaction if Rooney had made an appearance on Friday, he added: "Well, he's not going to be fit, so I don't think he's going to be available."
