Pleased to see me, Wayne?

It should have been a passionate kiss, a warm display of affection between lovers who have been apart for days.

But the look on Wayne Rooney's face as he greeted his fiancée Coleen McLoughlin on her return from a modelling assignment in Cyprus suggested he may not have been feeling as affectionate as he might be.

Stony-faced might be the best description of the England and Manchester United striker as Miss McLoughlin climbed into his waiting car at Manchester airport last night and leaned over for a kiss. Could the 19-year-old footballer still be fuming over the unsavoury events of Sunday, when it was reported he slapped Miss McLoughlin, 18, during a heated row in Brasingamens nightclub, Alderley Edge, Cheshire?

She flew to Cyprus after the alleged row; last night was the first time he had seen her since the allegations were splashed in Tuesday's newspapers.

Miss McLoughlin was smiling broadly as she and a female companion arrived in Manchester, pushing a baggage trolley groaning under several bulging Louis Vuitton suitcases.

Despite the allegations hanging over Rooney - and warnings from experts on violence against women that the £27 million player could strike out again - Miss McLoughlin said: "I'm so in love with him.

"I'm really looking forward to getting back home to him. He's such a talented man. I just can't wait to see him."

Miss McLoughlin admitted the couple had had a row. At Larnaca airport, Cyprus, she told The Sun: "Yes, we had a row, but I would not call it a fight. I know Wayne loves me and that's all I will say about that."

Rooney's fiancée enjoys a reputation as a serious shopper and, true to form, could not resist the temptation of the duty-free. She bought Rooney some after-shave, saying: "I hope he likes it. He has so many at home. I always think he smells great - even for a footballer."

What could it have been? Brut, perhaps?