Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will not be fit for the Champions League quarter-final, second leg against Bayern Munich tonight, manager Alex Ferguson said.

"We have made good progress with the lad. The medical team have been fantastic but I'm not prepared to take a risk if the player isn't 100 per cent fit," Ferguson told a news conference yesterday.

"We're looking at the Manchester City game (on April 17) and maybe Blackburn (on Sunday) as a substitute."

Reports in the British media on Monday had suggested the injured England player could make a surprise return at Old Trafford after suffering ankle ligament damage in Munich.

"I don't think he will be on the bench (tonight) although he might talk me into it, it is a difficult one," Ferguson added with a smile.

The 24-year-old, who had been ruled out for two to three weeks, did not take part in a training session yesterday.

Rooney was in top form before the injury, scoring 34 times in all competitions including the opening goal in United's 2-1 first leg defeat by Bayern.

He is a key member of the England team hoping to win this year's World Cup in South Africa.

Teenager Federico Macheda, who has been hampered by shoulder and calf injuries throughout the season, had been tipped to replace Rooney today but Ferguson said the Italian striker would start on the bench.

"It's been a hard season for the boy... we've only had him back a month into full training with the first team. I don't see him starting but certainly he can play a part," said Ferguson.

"He's on his way back and the boy's a terrific talent."

United have defender John O'Shea available again after a leg injury. The 28-year-old has not played since sustaining a dead-leg in Ireland's World Cup play-off against France in November.

United have only overturned a first leg deficit in the Champions League once in their history.

They have failed five times but after losing 2-1 against Roma three years ago, they beat the Italians 7-1 at Old Trafford.

Despite the frustration of the past week, Ferguson is confident that his side can bounce back and secure a place in a fourth straight Champions League semi-final.

He added: "They're two bad results and it doesn't often happen here and you have to recover from it and the best way to recover is by a better team performance and if we have a better performance than we did in Germany then we'll have a great chance.

"The opportunity of playing at Old Trafford knowing you have to score one goal to be in the driving seat, is a big advantage and a big incentive.

"It's also an incentive to get to the semi-final of the European Cup.

"It would be a fantastic achievement to come back from a goal down against Bayern.

"Bayern are a very good team, very experienced, and that's an incentive but most people will think we have a good chance and I think we've got a very good chance."

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