Rooney making good progress, says England doctor

LONDON, May 13: Injured England forward Wayne Rooney is taking very positive steps in his bid to be fit for the World Cup finals, England doctor Leif Sward said.

''I talked to the doctors in Manchester and the report they gave me was very, very positive,'' Sward was quoted as saying by British media today.

''I can say they have done a tremendous job with Wayne.'' Rooney was photographed riding a bicycle at Manchester United's Carrington training ground on Friday as he battles to recover from a broken foot ahead of the World Cup finals.

He damaged the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in United's 3-0 defeat at Chelsea two weeks ago and is struggling to be fit for England's first match against Paraguay on June 10.

However, he has been included in Sven-Goran Eriksson's provisional 23-man England squad, even though the striker is unlikely to feature until the later stages of the tournament.

Sward said England had handed full control of Rooney's recovery to United's medical team led by Mike Stone.

''I can say they have done a tremendous job with Wayne,'' he added. ''And I can say I am very glad for this latest report.

Wayne's progress is very positive.''

REUTERS