Wayne Rooney back in training with England

BUHLERTAL, Germany, June 8: Striker Wayne Rooney began England's training session with the rest of the squad today after being told he has a good chance of playing at the World Cup.

His club Manchester United said overnight that Rooney, who broke his foot on April 29, could be cleared to play after England's Group B campaign ends on June 20 against Sweden -- subject to a ''very careful assessment''.

Rooney, showing no ill-effects from Wednesday's round trip to Manchester for a scan, limbered up with the rest of his team mates at a sunlit training ground near their Baden-Baden hotel.

After 15 minutes, the session was closed to the media. Neither United nor the Football Association have indicated when the 20-year-old will be back in full training.

Rooney has so far been continuing his rehabilitation separately from the rest of the squad, running, turning and spraying long passes across the training pitch.

There was a welcome return to the training ground today for midfielder Steven Gerrard, who had missed the previous day's session with a stiff back.

Though Rooney will miss Saturday's opener against Paraguay and the game against Trinidad&Tobago, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will hope to use him if they reach the second round on June 24 or 25 as expected.

His place alongside Michael Owen against Paraguay will go to lanky striker Peter Crouch, scorer of a hat-trick in England's final warm-up game last Saturday against Jamaica.

REUTERS