Sven-Goran Eriksson is ready to play Wayne Rooney from the start of England's match with Sweden next week in a desperate bid to revitalise the Three Lions' flagging World Cup campaign.
The ManYoo striker was passed fit by the independent medical experts on Thursday afternoon ahead of England's clash with Trinidad and Tobago. He was then summoned from the bench to make his World Cup debut after 57 minutes, just 47 days after breaking his metatarsal against Chelski.
While Rooney did not boast an instrumental role in either of England's goals, his mere presence appeared sufficient to revive the team after a torpid opening hour.
"Wayne did very well when he came on. He can't come out and be the best man on the pitch when he has not played for a long time," said Sven Goran Eriksson.
"He's match fit, we agreed to that and it's up to me how I use him. There is no limit on how long I play him at all. I thought, and my coaching staff thought, that he was match fit. We decided he could start on the bench today and maybe give him 30 minutes. The day we thought he was match fit we wanted independent doctors to come as quickly as possible.
"You have to play football to get match fit. The tackles are different, the tempo is higher. But all the squad are glad to see him on the pitch instead of talking about him."
Asked whether Rooney might start against Sweden, who beat Paraguay 1-0 on Thursday night to keep alive hopes of heading Group B, Eriksson said: "Practically I can do it. It's totally up to me and this time no doctor will have a say. He's match-fit but we will see how he is tomorrow and take it from there."
"He's not 100 per cent fit but you have to expect that. It was very important to give him 30 minutes otherwise we would have had to wait for another five or maybe 10 days. I'm relieved the saga is over. We have talked about it every day, me and the players, and I'm fed up with it."
However, the debate over Rooney's fitness is now set to be replaced by the question of who should make way for his return. Peter Crouch scored his sixth goal in five appearances against Trinidad so, despite his 'golden boy' status, it appears that it Michael Owen's place which is in the greatest jeopardy - a prospect inconceivable barely six months ago.
