Soccer:Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney suffered "minor ligament damage" to his ankle during Tuesday's Champions League match defeat at Bayern Munich and will be out of action for an extended period, starting with Saturday's Premier League clash with Chelsea.
United, who expressed their relief that Rooney had not suffered a fracture, declined to say how long the England international will be out for although a recovery period of between two and four weeks has been mooted.
"We're pleased to report that Wayne has not suffered a fracture. The scan revealed only minor ligament damage," a United spokesman said.
The 24-year-old will have told England manager Fabio Capello the news when the Italian rang for an update, although that will have been of little concern to United boss Alex Ferguson. With his 34-goal forward sidelined, he must navigate a path through the next few games to ensure United are still contending for honours when Rooney does return.
Coincidentally, Chelsea’s Ricardo Carvalho will miss this weekend’s Old Trafford encounter after also suffering ankle ligament damage in the recent win at Portsmouth. The most obvious solution for Ferguson will be to place his trust in Dimitar Berbatov, given Michael Owen and Danny Welbeck are already out for the season.
Ryan Giggs has played up front before, whilst Nani, Antonio Valencia and Park Ji-sung can all provide attacking support, with Berbatov expected to be the lone front-man against both Chelsea and Bayern.
“We showed this season we play as a team,” Nemanja Vidic said. “It is not just about one man. Definitely Wayne Rooney has had a great season. He is unbelievable, one of the best in the world.
“But sometimes big players are missing and others need to be ready.”