Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that he believes Wayne Rooney will have an opportunity to improve his overall fitness after he was ruled out for a month with injury.

Rooney suffered a severe gash to his thigh in Manchester United's 3-2 victory over Fulham last weekend, but despite being ruled out for four weeks, Ferguson thinks that Rooney now has a chance to improve his fitness.

Ferguson said: "It may be a blessing. He can concentrate on his fitness in the gym now in particular because he's a bit behind other players."

Rooney had been dropped to the bench for last week's match after a below-par display against Everton.