Manchester United's manager is noted for sounding out his senior
stars, calling mini-conferences before he makes the big
decisions.
Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand are
often asked their opinion, brought into the manager's inner circle
to talk team shape and tactics.
Not this time.
This one was down to manager and player, plotting his return to
the team for the Champions League quarter-final tie after he came
through a secret training session.
Perhaps he wishes he had listened to Patrice Evra at the start
of the second half, twice telling assistant manager Mike Phelan to
"get him off".
By then Rooney was operating against Bayern Munich on one leg, a
passenger at the tip of the striker's favoured 4-5-1 formation.
When Rooney left the field there was no alternative, with United
scratching around for ideas as Louis van Gaal's side searched for a
second goal.
The options were limited and yet that is something Fergie will
have to overcome if this team is to achieve its targets.
Despite Fergie's desire to win a third European Cup, those
closest to him insist the Premier League remains his priority.
The United chief is driven by an intense, almost insane desire
to put daylight between United and Liverpool, determined to pull
clear before he will consider calling it a day.
They are locked on 18 each, although Fergie was convinced at the
start of the first season post-Ronaldo that United had enough to
win a fourth successive title.
He may have called that wrong too, particularly after last
weekend's damaging defeat against Chelsea at Old Trafford.
"I'd prefer to be in the position Chelsea are in," he admitted
ahead of this weekend's trip to Ewood Park.
"It's better to lead from the front, but if they slip up it will
be very difficult for them to recover."
At the moment it's United's manager who is slipping up, making
fundamental mistakes at crucial stages of the season.
He has backed the players in public, but building a Fifth
Generation United team may still prove beyond him.
This summer decisions will have to be made on some big name
players, under threat after another season of
under-achievement.
His handling of Dimitar Berbatov, billed by Fergie as a player
capable of having the same impact as Eric Cantona, has been
baffling.
The Bulgarian was back on the bench against Bayern, his
confidence shot again after a half-fit striker was preferred.
He had been restored to the team for the visit of Chelsea,
directing two headers wide of the target and missing a fair chance
to equalise in the final minutes.
His languid style is not always easy on the eye, but Berbatov
deserves better, especially after the club's £31m outlay and the
three-year pursuit to sign him.
He has two years remaining on his contract and insists he will
not be stamping his feet this summer, although United will sell if
they can find a willing bidder.
Fergie retains an interest in Karim Benzema, struggling to make
an impact at Real Madrid after his £40m move from Lyon last
summer.
Benzema was out of Fergie's reach back then, cooling their
interest the moment Real began trumping United's offers.
United's boss maintains he has money available to spend and
Benzema's potential availability after just one year in Madrid
could test those claims.
