Wayne Rooney could
be back in action in two to four weeks after initial indications
suggested he suffered a sprained ankle rather than a break during
Manchester United’s defeat by Bayern Munich.
The England striker
will not know the full extent of damage until undergoing scans on his
return to Manchester, but the 24-year-old left Germany with positive
reports that his injury might not be as bad as first feared.
Rooney stayed in
Munich overnight with the rest of the United side that lost 2-1 in the
Champions League quarter-final first leg on Tuesday and arrived at
Munich airport on Wednesday afternoon wearing a protective boot,
limping across the tarmac with the aid of crutches.
If reports by Sky
Sports News prove to be correct, the Barclays Premier League champions
will be without their top scorer for crucial matches at the business
end of the season, but at least Rooney should be in shape to make the
World Cup finals.
England boss Fabio
Capello voiced his concerns after seeing his talisman land awkwardly in
a challenge with Mario Gomez at the end of the match in Germany.
Capello intends to
speak to the former Everton striker later on Wednesday or on Thursday
morning, once a clearer picture has emerged.
If the results show
ankle-ligament damage, Rooney could face longer on the sidelines and
leave Capello’s plans for South Africa 2010 in tatters.
Alex Ferguson is also facing the dilemma of how to face Chelsea in Saturday’s pivotal Barclays Premier League title clash.
A statement on the
United website read: ‘Rooney did not travel back on the team bus from
the Allianz Arena, instead departing separately with security staff.
His right foot was encased in a protective boot.’
To add to Rooney’s
woe, he was selected by UEFA for a random drug test after the match,
meaning United’s medical team were unable to attend to his injury as
quickly as they would like.
Reuters
Leave a Reply