Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney will not feature against Liverpool having failed to recover from injury in time, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed.
Rooney, 27, has been sidelined since picking up a knee injury during training on Christmas Day, but Ferguson had always been confident that the England international would return in time for Sunday's derby clash at Old Trafford.
However, that schedule has now been revised - with the midweek FA Cup replay against West Ham a more likely comeback fixture for Rooney.