Rooney: Sprained ankle
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Wayne Rooney is facing between two and four
weeks on the sidelines with a sprained ankle, Sky Sports News understands.
The Manchester United and England talisman had the nation holding
their breath as he crumpled in a heap on the turf at the Allianz Arena
in the closing seconds of the 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat by Bayern
Munich.
Rooney, who had bagged his 34th goal of an astonishing
season with just 64 seconds on the clock in the quarter-final first leg
meeting, had to be helped from the field and later left the stadium on
crutches.
Replays of the incident showed he had turned his right
ankle when he landed awkwardly, causing immediate concern for Red Devils
boss Sir Alex Ferguson and England counterpart Fabio Capello.
The
fears of the national team appear to be have been alleviated by the
initial prognosis, but the Red Devils will be without their attacking
ace for a significant spell during the title run-in and he will undergo a
scan on Thursday.
Ferguson's men, who head the Premier League by
one point from Chelsea, play host to their title rivals at Old Trafford
on Saturday lunchtime in what could well prove to be a pivotal moment in
the season.
The return leg of their European showdown with Bayern
follows next Wednesday when United know they must score if they are to
progress to the semi-finals of the competition.
Massive blow
Rooney
can expect to miss the trip to Blackburn on 11th April and may also
struggle to be involved in the Manchester derby with City at Eastlands
the following weekend and the home meeting with Spurs on 24th April.
That
would leave the 24-year-old with just the Premier League encounters
against Sunderland and Stoke to regain match sharpness in domestic
action before attention turns to England's World Cup bid in South
Africa.
Midfielder Darren Fletcher, speaking after the Bayern
defeat, knows that Rooney's absence will have an impact on the Red
Devils, but is confident they have players in reserve who can help fill
the void.
"It would be a massive blow for us if Wayne doesn't play
because he has had a fantastic season," said Fletcher.
"He scored
again for us and he is quite obviously one of the best players in the
world.
"But we have other good players. If Wayne isn't available,
we will rally round.
"Berbatov, Valencia and Giggs came off the
bench against Bayern so we still have a lot of quality."
- Skysports
