As Sir Alex Ferguson surveyed his walking wounded before the Carling Cup final with Aston Villa, the Manchester United manager succumbed to asking for favours from Manchester City in his attempt to retain the Barclays Premier League title.

Rio Ferdinand has suffered another injury setback that rules him out of the Carling Cup final on Sunday and throws England’s World Cup preparations into further disarray.

“King Midas” was how Gianfranco Zola eloquently referred to Wayne Rooney last night after the Manchester United striker’s latest exhibition of goalscoring brilliance. “Everything he touches turns to gold, ” the West Ham United manager cooed, which is a good job because it is not only the hopes of his club that Rooney carries on those broad shoulders.

Few stand up to Sir Alex Ferguson and escape unscathed. Crossing swords with Sam Allardyce can be scary, too. Only the exceptionally brave or extremely foolhardy take on two of the biggest personalities the game can offer.

Michael Owen could be forgiven for feeling the occasional pang of jealousy towards Wayne Rooney, but the one-time golden boy of English football had nothing but praise last night for the “local scally made good” and the present bearer of that particular crown.

Team news and squad sheets for the midweek games will appear below as soon as the managers have posted them around the country. In the meantime, watch our video previews above.

Michael Owen says he has all but given up hope of being involved in this summer's World Cup finals.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON sent out a message to rival teams and to Wayne Rooney himself last night when he said that his in-form striker had yet to “get to the levels of [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer and Andy Cole and [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy. If he got to that level, he’d be the best in the world”.

Chelsea continued their 100 per cent Premier League record against Wolves, with a 2-0 victory at Molineux. Didier Drogba's double enabled Chelsea to move four points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Barclays Premier League.

David Moyes, the Everton manager, has revealed how a phone call from an apologetic Wayne Rooney helped to convince him that his one-time protégé had reached the level of maturity required of a world-class performer.

Nemanja Vidic insists he is as committed as ever to Manchester United, despite mounting speculation that he will leave Old Trafford in the summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have incurred the wrath of the Premier League for fielding an understrength side against Manchester United last December.

One Manchester United striker continues to go from strength to strength, but another must be wondering in which direction his Old Trafford career is headed.

There has always been something magnificently ordinary about Wayne Rooney. There are the trappings of superstardom, but none of the affectations. There is the flair of the prima donna, but none of the ego. There is confidence, but never arrogance.