Manchester: Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney will be out for up to three weeks as he recovers from minor ankle ligament damage, the Premier League champions said on Friday.
“The nation can breathe again. We’re relieved, it could have been worse,” United manager Alex Ferguson told reporters.
Rooney, who has scored 34 goals for the league leaders this season, sustained the injury in Tuesday’s 2-1 Champions League quarter-final first leg defeat by Bayern Munich.
Pictures of him limping off at the Allianz Arena had sparked fears that the 24-year-old could miss England’s World Cup campaign in South Africa.
His absence comes as a big blow to United, who host second-placed Chelsea on Saturday with just a point separating the two title rivals after 32 games.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, April 02, 2010, 14:47