Wayne Rooney still needs to win over some Manchester United teammates upon his return from R&R in the US. The Sunday Mirror says Rooney reports back for training today facing a fight to be accepted back into the Old Trafford dressing room.
United wanted to give Rooney, who eventually signed a new £250,000-a-week United contract, a "cooling off" period away from angry team-mates. They saw his outburst over a lack of big-money signings as a criticism of their ability.
United also wanted to monitor the striker's diet as they attempted to build up his fitness following a string of ankle problems that have troubled him since last March.
A United insider said: "Some players were unhappy that Rooney explained his decision not to sign a new contract by saying he no longer felt the team would be challenging for trophies without new signings. He did himself no favours with that and although Ferguson did make him apologise to his team-mates, he now needs to build some bridges."