England coach Fabio Capello is desperate for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney not to further jeopardise his recovery from an ankle injury.

Rooney will not play at Blackburn today after the gamble of including him in United's starting line-up for the ill-fated Champions League clash with Bayern Munich on Wednesday backfired.

A source told The Mail on Sunday yesterday: "England are banking on the fact that a man of Sir Alex's experience will avoid making the same mistake twice."

The Italian has a good relationship with Ferguson and can understand why the Scot wanted Rooney to feature in such an important match.

But Capello is desperate for Rooney to reach the end of the season in one piece, so he can play a major role in the World Cup campaign.