Sven Goran Eriksson is ready to risk the further wrath of Sir Alex Ferguson, not to mention the fitness of Wayne Rooney, by introducing the striker against Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
Rooney's appearance ahead of the group stages would be defy the advice from independent medical expert Professor Angus Wallace, as well as the urgings of his club.
However, Eriksson will use Rooney as a substitute in Nuremberg barely seven weeks after he broke his foot if there are no further complications in his training this week.
Asked whether Rooney would appear, the England boss said: "I'm very optimistic, always. I'm born like that. We have to decide that day by day, to be honest."
The England manager's apparent desperation to use Rooney - which didn't stretch to using the player against Paraguay despite the 20-year-old prowling the touchline and telling both team-mates and coaches that he was ready if needed - is indicative of the concern at Michael Owen's lack of match fitness.
The occasional Newcastle striker endured a miserable 55 minutes against the South Americans before being hauled off. Publicly at least, Eriksson remains confident that Owen will prove a threat as the tournament progresses.
"How many games has he played now? Four. I'm not that worried.
"It became difficult for Michael Owen and in the second half we didn't keep the ball as we needed to, but I'm sure Michael will do better and better. He just needs to play and play. We have time to get better, " the England boss said.
Nontheless, the folly of taking Jermaine Jenas to Germany rather than a fifth striker was exposed on Saturday when Eriksson felt unable to use the uncapped rookie Theo Walcott as a replacement for Owen.
"We thought about bringing him on, but for the first game in a World Cup He needs more time, more training", explained the England manager.
Those hopes have been dashed by an injury suffered in training on Sunday morning that will result in the Arsenal youngster resting for the next 48 hours. The culprit? Wayne Rooney.
