Wayne Rooney could miss two months for Manchester United
27 August 2012 07:33
The horrific injury suffered by Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford on Saturday was so bad it shocked surgeons and required dozens of stitches to repair the Manchester United striker’s thigh muscle.And there are fears that Rooney could be ruled out for up to two months.Rooney faces a fitness battle after undergoing complex surgery on the deep gash he suffered in United’s 3-2 win over Fulham in the Barclays Premier League.The cut to Rooney’s leg is understood to have been so severe that it astounded surgeons who operated on him in hospital on Saturday night. The gash — caused by the studs of Fulham striker Hugo Rodallega — was deep enough to cut all the way to the thigh bone and required surgery under general anaesthetic.
Ouch: Wayne Rooney suffered a deep gash to his right leg and had to go to hospital
Rooney had to have stitches to the muscle and then to close up the wound. The England striker spent the night in hospital before being allowed home on Sunday.United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested after the game at Old Trafford that Rooney would be out for four weeks, therefore missing England’s two forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.That prognosis will be revised this week. Rooney will need some time to recover from the general anaesthetic and will then have to undergo a period of rehabilitation as the muscle heals.Rooney, 26, is already expected to
miss United’s forthcoming games against Southampton and Wigan. However,
if his recovery takes longer he will miss the first of United’s
Champions League games and important domestic games against Liverpool
and Tottenham.
With Ferguson known to have
misgivings about Rooney at the moment, the season certainly couldn’t
have started much worse for last season’s United top scorer.
Rooney was only on the field as a
substitute on Saturday and, though Ferguson’s comments in his matchday
programme notes about ‘helping’ unhappy players out of the club were not
specifically about his star striker, it is clear that he may find his
way back into the starting line-up blocked by players like Robin van
Persie and Shinji Kagawa when he returns to fitness.
Pain game: Rooney suffered the injury while blocking a shot during his team's win against Fulham
Down and out: Rooney hadn't been on the pitch all that long, but was forced off on a stretcher
Ferguson is understood to have been
dismayed by Rooney’s performance against Everton a week ago and made his
decision to drop him during the week. Rooney knew of the decision by Friday lunchtime.
Regarding the injury, there was a
feeling on Saturday night that the gash may have been caused by a
‘bladed’ stud, the type that is banned by Ferguson among young players
at United.
However, it transpired yesterday that Rodallega was wearing traditional studs. He wears Nike boots, as does Rooney.
Rooney’s absence is bad news for
England manager Roy Hodgson, of course. He can only hope that the United
forward is back in time for the second international double- header in
October. At the moment that is not certain.
On Sunday night Hodgson learned that
former England captain John Terry is also a doubt for the Moldova and
Ukraine games after it emerged that Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo
is concerned about a neck injury the defender suffered against Reading
last week.
Hospitalised: Rooney is taken to the ambulance after suffering the injury
Terry missed Chelsea’s 2-0 win
against Newcastle on Saturday and will not play in Friday’s UEFA Super
Cup game against Atletico Madrid anyway, because he is banned from last
season.
‘He has a neck problem but hopefully
it won’t be long term,’ said Blues boss Di Matteo. ‘He fell on
Wednesday and hit his head on the ground.
‘He wasn’t available against Newcastle and we’ll monitor him over the next few days, the next week, to see how he recovers.’
Hodgson will name his squad on Thursday for the first two qualifiers.
Hodgson has confirmed he wants to
select Terry despite the FA charge which hangs over the defender in
connection with his row with QPR’s Anton Ferdinand at Loftus Road last
season.
Terry was cleared of racial abuse in a
criminal court in July but the FA disciplinary chiefs are yet to decide
whether he is guilty of breaking football’s code.
He was among those rested for
England’s friendly against Italy earlier this month but the 31-year-old
has said he would like to extend his international career.
Terry’s next game for his club will be
at Loftus Road in Chelsea’s first Barclays Premier League fixture after
the international break, on September 15, if he recovers from the neck
injury.
WAYNE'S WORLD OF PAINJuly 26, 2003Sprained ankleCarried off during Everton’s friendly against Rangers after a seemingly innocuous challenge and missed first game of the season.March 29, 2004Sprained ankleInjured against Middlesbrough and appeared to aggravate it in England’s 1-0 friendly defeat by Sweden a week later. Missed two weeks for Everton.June 24, 2004MetatarsalAfter starring for England during Euro 2004 he limped off during their quarter-final defeat by Portugal and was out until September.April 29, 2006MetatarsalSix weeks before England’s World Cup opener he is carried off. Featured in all but one of England’s World Cup games but was below his best.August 12, 2007MetatarsalA third metatarsal break in three years — this time his left foot — and misses six weeks.
Crocked: Rooney has broken his metatarsal three times
November 9, 2007 Sprained ankleSoon after returning he injured his ankle in training and missed England’s Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia.October 11, 2009Calf strainInjured in England’s 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat by Ukraine and misses the 3-0 win over Belarus. March 30, 2010Sprained ankleA tangle with Bayern Munich’s Mario Gomez sees Rooney injured 71 days before the World Cup. Features in the Cup but is far from his best.January 20, 2012Ankle/knee strainsInjured for Manchester United against Arsenal and misses 2-1 FA Cup defeat by Liverpool the following week.August 25, 2012Gashed legRuled out for four weeks.
