Manchester United were still sticking to their story that Wayne Rooney missed the Premier League defeat by Blackburn on Saturday afternoon through injury rather than for disciplinary reasons.
Rooney was not even selected as a substitute for the shock 3-2 defeat, despite Sir Alex Ferguson being forced to name five untested youngsters on the bench.
Instead, the 26-year-old watched the match from an executive box, along with Darron Gibson, who has been mentioned along with Rooney, and currently injured defender Jonny Evans, in relation to a night out that took place on Boxing Day after the 5-0 win over Wigan, when all three players and their wives allegedly went out to celebrate the win.
It has been reported by the Mail on Sunday that Sir Alex Ferguson got wind of the night out, ordered the players to do extra training on Wednesday, which was supposed to be their day off, then told them they would not be involved on Saturday. The paper also claims that Rooney will be hit with a six-figure fine.
The implications of what has been reported could be major for United, and in particular Rooney's relationship with Ferguson.
Man Utd statement: "Wayne hasn't trained well this week, he's missed a few days and we're hoping that he trains today, tomorrow and, by Wednesday, he should be okay. It's little strains here and there."
However, it has not been forgotten Rooney requested a transfer last season amid fears about United's long-term future, only to be eventually talked round.