The Times says that Fergie wants Wayne Rooney to got to the World Cup but not making the same mistakes David Beckham made 4 years ago.
More than anything, it is the circus that Sir Alex Ferguson dreads. Contrary to the noises in the shires, this Scot is actually quite enthused by the prospect of Wayne Rooney playing for England in the World Cup just weeks after suffering a fractured metatarsal, but the Manchester United manager is haunted by the idea of the forward being carried along on a tide of national hysteria and allowing his heart to rule his head as David Beckham did four years ago.
Ferguson is not alone in this regard. More than one England player has whispered the odd concern about the circus that might develop if the Rooney bandwagon gets out of control once they reach Germany. The main worry is not so much that the forward's inclusion in the squad will detract attention away from what is happening on the pitch but that, if emotion rather than common sense begins to cloud the issue, Rooney may be forced into making the same mistakes that Beckham did in the last World Cup.
It is that experience - that of watching Beckham race back from injury, cut corners in his rehabilitation and fail do himself or his team justice in Japan - that troubles not only Ferguson but also many others around the England camp, where mild amusement at the relative lack of focus on other issues is tempered by concern that the focus on Rooney might prove too much whether he manages to get fit or not.
"He wasn't fit enough to play in the World Cup, to be honest," the United manager said with a grimace. "He made the mistake of joining up with England (on a training camp) in Dubai. He would have been much fitter if he had stayed here, but he wanted to go to Dubai."
Nobody appears to have given much consideration to the idea that Rooney might return ring-rusty and out of sorts. His comeback appearance after his last metatarsal injury in 2004 was truly spectacular - a stunning hat-trick against Fenerbahçe, the Turkish side, in the Champions League in what was also his debut for United, having moved from Everton during his rehabilitation - but that was because he had been held back until the moment was right. Would the same sense of restraint apply if he was sitting on the substitutes' bench with England trailing to Poland and the minutes ticking away in the last 16 next month? The temptation to introduce Rooney could be too much.
All being well, he will be declared fit to travel with the rest of the England squad to Germany on June 5, but his critical next MRI scan in Manchester nine days later will again be overseen by Gill.
And if the news is bad - if Rooney is told there is little point in him returning to Germany - Ferguson and United can expect to be accused of stealing the crown jewels, or worse still, treason. But if that is the case, the Scot will be doing it because he has the interests of England's best footballer - if not necessarily England's national team - at heart.