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Wayne Rooney was missing from Manchester United's team bus last night – sparking fears he may miss today's game with Liverpool.

Rooney was not part of the squad that disembarked the coach at Manchester's Lowry Hotel, United's overnight base for home matches.

The United squad arrived at the Lowry at 7.40pm but skipper Rooney was not among the group of players who climbed the hotel steps to go inside.

Rooney, who overtook Sir Bobby Charlton's England scoring record with his 50 international goal on Tuesday, was the most high-profile absentee among United's squad.

(Image: Reuters)

Louis van Gaal gave no indication that Rooney had suffered an injury when he spoke at his media conference ahead of the Liverpool game earlier on Friday.

United's players had a final training session at the club's Aon Training Complex after van Gaal's 2.30pm press conference.

Intriguingly, Getty Images, official photographers for United, did not publish a picture of Rooney from today's training session among the 44 on their website, suggesting the forward may not even have been involved.

In pictures - United train on Friday:

Yet a United spokesman was unable to explain why Rooney was not on the team bus along with the rest of the playing squad.

Van Gaal insists on his squad travelling together the night before games, which is what makes Rooney's absence from the group all the more puzzling.

The players leave their cars at Old Trafford the night before home games, then take the team bus to Lowry, where they spend the night, travelling to Old Trafford on match-day.

If Rooney does miss today's game at Old Trafford, it could mean a baptism of fire debut for new £36million signing Anthony Martial.

(Image: NurPhoto/REX)

Martial, 19, became football's most expensive teenager when he completed his move to United from Monaco on transfer deadline day.

Van Gaal said he would ease Martial into life at United and in the Premier League, but if he is without Rooney, he may have no choice but to start him.

Rooney and Martial are now United's only recognised strikers, after van Gaal let Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Javier Hernandez leave this summer, with young forward James Wilson going out on loan.

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