Rooney fitness boost

01 March 2010 14:17
Wayne Rooney hopes to be fit for England's friendly against Egypt on Wednesday after scans showed no serious damage to his knee. The Manchester United striker suffered a knock in Sunday's Carling Cup final win over Aston Villa to spark fears over his availability for the international clash. Rooney, however, said : Yes it's okay, I went for a scan today and it's just a bit of bruising. So I'm having a bit of a rest day today, I should train tomorrow and should play on Wednesday. Rooney claims there have been no disruptions ahead of Wednesday's game, despite the unusual circumstances surrounding preparations. Wayne Bridge made himself unavailable for the game following allegations that former Chelsea team-mate John Terry had an affair with his former partner and mother of his young son. Terry has been stripped of the captaincy but Rooney added on Sky Sports News: John is a leader for our team. He hasn't got the armband but he's still a great player and a great leader. The squad has been no different since we've met up. He (Terry) is a great player - I think he's been named in the world XI for the last three years. There are no worries about his form, that's for sure. Wayne Bridge is a fantastic player and especially now with Ashley Cole being injured I'm sure he'd have been the one to take his place. It's unfortunate but it's his decision and you have to respect it. Shawcross The Manchester United striker had support for Ryan Shawcross, who was once on the books at Old Trafford. Stoke defender Shawcross got his England call-up just hours after being dismissed for a challenge which broke the leg of Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey on Saturday evening. Rooney added: I was with him at United for a couple of years and he's not that type of player. I'm sure he'll be okay, he'll be welcomed into the squad and will be hoping to get a game on Wednesday. It's unfortunate but he's got to move on now. He's in the squad at a young age, it's important for him to get a game and if he does I'm sure he'll do well. On the challenge of Egypt, Rooney added: It will be a tough game. We want to try to prepare well for the World Cup and this is the first step for us.[LNB] Rooney hopes Terry gets a good reception from the Wembley crowd. Asked how he expects to public to receive the former captain, Rooney said: The same as normal I'd hope, I've been in the team when a few players have been booed at Wembley and it's not nice, it doesn't send the right message. I hope he gets a good reception. The Liverpudlian striker has scored several headed goals recently and believes he is reaping the benefits from hard work in training. He said: I've obviously said I've worked on heading for the last couple of years now and I think the delivery of the ball this year has been better than in previous years, my movement and timing for headers has got better. Obviously it has come together and that's the main reason.[LNB]

Source: Manchester_EveningNews