Sir Alex Ferguson has defended Wayne Rooney in the wake of the red card that will rule him out of the start of next summer's European Championship, admitting that the player suffers from a "fiery temper" but pointing out that he has also significantly improved when it comes to his self-control.

Rooney will miss at least the opening fixture of Euro 2012 because of his kick at the Montenegro defender Miodrag Dzudovic during England's 2-2 draw in Podgorica last Friday.

That could be increased to two or three games, depending on how seriously Uefa views the offence, and Ferguson said he will check on the player's state of mind when he returns to training with Manchester United on Wednesday to prepare for the weekend fixture against Liverpool.

"Obviously he will be disappointed," the United manager told Sirius XM. "It was one of these, how do you put it, reflex actions by the boy. He's been tackled, and he's reacted. He's got that fiery temper, which to my mind is not the worst thing in the world."

Ferguson has not been in contact with Rooney since the incident – "I texted him but he hasn't got back to me," he explained – but said he was satisfied the player was at the right club to learn how to control his temper.

"I think we do that. He's shown tremendous improvement in terms of his temperament, his reactions to being tackled and things like that over the last few years. As maturity comes along, then it brings other things. It brings the responsibility, which he is improving all the time."

Ferguson, who has been on holiday in the United States, was asked whether he thought there was a direct link between Rooney's behaviour and the revelation before the match that the player's father had been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged spot-fixing. "I don't know. I've no idea. It's difficult to say with these things. I'll be home tomorrow, then I'll see him then."