Rooney's double shift opens door for a quick Man Utd return

Wayne Rooney has given a huge boost ahead of the Barclays Premier League season by coming through a week of double training sessions and declaring himself ready for Sunday's opener against Newcastle at Old Trafford.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson virtually ruled Rooney out of the start of the season nine days ago when revealing that he had been struck down by a stomach virus he picked up during a club visit to Nigeria.

But Sportsmail disclosed a week ago that the striker had begun to make rapid progress in his recovery, and it is now understood that he has been training twice a day ever since.

With United locked in a struggle with Tottenham in their bid to sign Bulgaria striker Dimitar Berbatov, 27, Ferguson will be relying on Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Ryan Giggs to get the champions' season going.

Rooney has told Ferguson that he feels ready to play against Kevin Keegan's team and is certain to be in the squad on Sunday. It remains to be seen if Ferguson picks him to start or chooses to give him a few more days' work in time for the second game of the campaign against Portsmouth a week later.

Meanwhile, Spurs manager Juande Ramos tried to turn up the heat on Berbatov on Thursday by declaring that his current club are as big as United and ready to challenge them in the title race and the transfer market.

Ramos issued his battle cry as United worked furiously to secure the £25million signing of Berbatov. 'Tottenham are already a big club, and we can be compared with Manchester United and any of the top four clubs,' said Ramos, addressing the media through an interpreter.

'Now or at any time in the future, a player can quite easily choose to remain here or choose to come here over any of the other top clubs.'

Wanted man: Berbatov trains with Spurs on Thursday

The Spurs boss claimed there was still no official bid on the table for Berbatov, who trained at Spurs Lodge on Thursday. 'As far as I'm aware there hasn't been an offer,' said Ramos. 'If there is an offer, that's when the club have to decide.'

Roy Keane, the Sunderland boss, said that United's pursuit of Berbatov could be the key to their hopes of retaining the title, but he is backing Chelsea to wrest it from them.

The former Old Trafford captain sees Berbatov as the signing which could change the destiny of the title race, but for now he is backing Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Keane said: 'I still say this year for me it's Chelsea. I always felt United would do it last year, but I fancy Chelsea this time.

'There is no Africa Cup of Nations, they have got a new manager, they have bought one or two players and for all the ups and downs last year at Chelsea, they still nearly nicked it.

'If United get a top, top striker then they have got a chance, but my gut feeling this year would be Chelsea.'

While there was good news about Rooney, it was bad news for Newcastle striker Michael Owen who is set to miss Sunday's game after failing to overcome a calf problem.

The England forward has not kicked a ball in competition throughout the summer and a behind-closed-doors friendly, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, was cancelled.