Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admits Wayne Rooney is ‘a bit fortunate’ to avoid FA punishment for elbow on James McCarthy

EPL – Manchester United vs Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson (Getty Images)

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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted that believes striker Wayne Rooney is lucky to be playing on Tuesday evening against Chelsea after his elbow on Wigan Athletic‘s James McCarthy on Sunday.

During the first half of the match at the DW Stadium, Rooney elbowed McCarthy on the side of the head as he ran past the youngster in the centre circle.

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez believed that Rooney was lucky not to get sent off, while Ferguson admitted he was relieved that no retrospective action was taken against his striker.

Ferguson told Sky Sports: “I think the rules are there, clearly.

“Mark Clattenburg dealt with it. He spoke to the player, he gave Wigan a free kick and that was the end of the story.

“I think the only person to come out of it with any credit was the referee himself. He would have come under pressure from the FA and the media, which we expected, and it’s over with.

“He is a bit fortunate, it was a clash but nothing serious that hurt the player. Nonetheless it was a silly thing to do.”