Wayne Rooney must not rush back from injury, says physio

When you watch in slow motion, Wayne Rooney's foot moves in to a classic position - toes pointing down and the body weight carrying him over - for a lateral ligament injury. Hobbling home: Rooney leaves Munich on crutches with his leg in a castThe ankle's lateral ligament has three bands and the front band - theanterior which is generally the weakest - is nearly always damaged whensuch a twist happens.After the match, the club will have been keen to get the cast on to keep compression on the ankle, to keep the swelling to a minimum and protect it from any further damage. Back in Manchester, the ankle will have been scanned to clarify there are no other injuries around the ligament. Sometimes the structures around that anterior band can be damaged. The ligament can pull away from the bone if you're unlucky and that's more serious. Rooney appears to have strained the ligaments. It's just a question of how badly - from a little tweak which will keep him out for two to three weeks to a common second degree tear which could be up to six weeks. Pain game: The moment Rooney sustained his worrying ankle injury as Bayern Munich celebrated their last minute winning goal on Tuesday He would still be fit for the World Cup but might not have any gamesto work on his match fitness, apart from the pre-tournament friendlies.Any injury is vulnerable to aggravation if you try to come back too soon. Rooney will probably be fitted with a 'Cryo Cuff', a glorified ice pack which circulates cool water around the joint. Wayne Rooney has suffered seven ankle injuries in his career. He tends to recover quickly, but is it a weakness and could it happen again?July 2003 in training (2 weeks); Sep 2003 v Newcastle (1 week); Mar 2004 v Middlesbrough (4 days); Feb 2007 v Switzerland (10 days); Nov 2007 v Dynamo Kiev (1 month); Sep 2008 v Aalborg (5 days); Mar 2010 v Bayern. Wayne Rooney 'out for two-four weeks with sprained ankle' as Manchester United star is tipped to make World CupDefoe or Bent? A striking lack of alternatives for England and CapelloWorld Cup Plan B: What if Messi is injured for Argentina? Just call on Tevez.MANCHESTER UNITED FC

Source: Daily_Mail