Rooney is currently out with an ankle injury that he sustained in the win at West Bromwich Albion on New Year’s Day.
The striker was expected to feature against Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday, but Ferguson decided not to risk the England star.
“I could have put him on the bench but there was no point,” said Ferguson.
“He just felt it again on Friday and when he came in on Saturday morning you could see there was a reaction. At that point, we said no.”
