Alex Ferguson has declared Wayne Rooney as a doubt for Saturday’s trip to Wolves following the striker’s midweek exertions with England.
Rooney played out 86 minutes of the friendly win over Egypt on Wednesday having gone into that game with a slight knee problem. The striker was left out of the eleven for the Carling Cup Final on Sunday but came off the bench to win the game for Ferguson’s men, completing an entire 45 minutes on the sapping Wembley pitch. Although passed fit for international duty, Ferguson has today expressed his concerns that Rooney was asked to play such a significant role in England’s friendly…
“We have to assess Wayne because he played almost 90 minutes for England the other night at Wembley, which I was disappointed in…When you are playing on that pitch for almost an hour on Sunday and then nearly a full game on Wednesday it’s far too much…Now he is a doubt for Wolves.”
Wednesday’s Champions League date with AC Milan will be in Ferguson’s mind when he selects his side for the Wolves encounter. Even so it’s hard to believe, with Owen sidelined, that he’ll go into this game without Rooney leading his attack. Fatigue, the knee problem and Ferguson’s desire to keep Rooney fresh for Wednesday could all play a part in the thinking process. Previous weeks have seen plenty of nerve jangling amongst Rooney owners when it’s come to the United teamsheet and, with this statement, it appears that’s on the cards again this weekend.
While it’s likely that Rooney will be in most our lineups come Saturday’s deadline, it will be interesting to see if this news will cause those considering handing the United man their Fantasy Premier League captaincy to think again. Cesc Fabregas now looks to be by far the best option, with teammate Nicklas Bendtner perhaps providing the viable differential.
