Wayne Rooney
© AFP Adrian Dennis

NUREMBERG (AFP) - The Manchester United striker was thrown into the fray by Sven-Goran Eriksson 58 minutes into England's game against minnows Trinidad and Tobago with the score 0-0, and immediately sparked an England resurgence.

He replaced Michael Owen, throwing further doubts on the Newcastle goal poacher's fitness and raising questions over how long it will take for him to regain the pace that has seen him score 36 goals for his country.

Rooney was straight into the thick of things and was clattered to the ground just minutes after coming on by lanky Trinidad defender Dennis Lawrence, no doubt sending shivers down the spine of United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Eriksson, who has had runs ins with Ferguson over Rooney's fitness, said he was very happy he was back.

"I'm very happy that he is match fit - of course not 100 percent fit, he can't be, but that half an hour he had out there will help him," he said.

Captain David Beckham echoed those sentiments.

"He's ready now and just needs to get fully fit," he said.

"The manager made two good substitutions. It was very positive and we pushed forward from that."

Wayne Rooney(C) takes a shot
© AFP Roberto Schmidt

The 20-year-old had not played since breaking a bone in his foot on April 29 but was passed fit by independent medical experts just hours before the game started.

Ferguson had urged Eriksson not to rush Rooney's return, but the Swede insisted he would have the final say.

England had badly missed Rooney's creative influence during an unimpressive 1-0 win over Paraguay in their opening game last Saturday, and were again in need of his flair here on Thursday.

His appearance threw England into a more attacking mode, giving his lacklustre teammates a lift and they went close several times against an admirable Trinidad team before Peter Crouch broke the drought in the 83rd minute.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, Stephen Gerrard put it beyond doubt with a left foot rocket in the first minute of injury time.

Rooney was originally considered a major doubt for the tournament but his recovery gained momentum in recent weeks.

He resumed full-contact training this week and had been kicking balls at full force.

Wayne Rooney(L) and Steven Gerrard
© AFP Roberto Schmidt

The final green light came just hours before kick off when independent medical experts Angus Wallace and Chris Moran from the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham, who flew out to Germany, declared him fit.

"Due to his positive attitude and approach and the care he has received, Wayne has made a more rapid recovery than initially anticipated," they said in a joint statement.

"The injury has healed and we are satisfied that he is as fit as he can be." A risk assessment had also found that Rooney was "at no more risk than any other player who has recovered from an injury and is returning to competitive sport", the statement said.

Manchester United issued a statement saying that the English Football Association (FA) had kept the club informed of developments, and wished Rooney well.

"The club has been assured by the FA that it has decided Wayne's fitness on the basis of medical evidence it has received and that such a decision was made with Wayne's welfare as a key consideration," it said.

Rooney's return though cast further doubts over the future of Owen.

He has hardly played since breaking his foot on New Year's Eve and again on Thursday looked desperately short of match sharpness, despite England players saying they had full confidence in him bouncing back.

He barely figured against Trinidad, with his best effort coming shortly before he was substituted when a header skidded past the left hand upright.

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