Wayne Rooney and Rafael set to return as Manchester United tackle City

Wayne Rooney and Rafael are ready to boost Manchester United’s options ahead of the derby clash with Manchester City at Old Trafford on Monday night.

The pair missed the FA Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Chelsea, but there are still question marks over the availability of centre-backs Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans, who also sat out the Stamford Bridge replay.

A home victory would put United 18 points clear of their bitter rivals, with only seven games remaining in the Premier League, and effectively seal a record 20th league title.

“Wayne and Rafa have started training this morning, which is good news,” said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

“Hopefully, they will be fine by Monday. Jonny Evans and Nemanja Vidic are not there yet but, hopefully, they will start training maybe Friday or Saturday morning. We have a little bit of time on our hands to get most of the troops ready for the game.

“It’s a derby game with a difference from a few years ago. We have to get used to playing Manchester City in big games and that’s the case again,” Ferguson said.