FANTASY FOOTBALL FANATICS take note – Wayne Rooney could be ruled out for several matches after picking up a hamstring injury, according to Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Scot confirmed the news after the club’s 100% start to the season was ended by Stoke, in a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening, telling reporters: “Rooney’s is not a serious injury, but it was enough to keep him out (for this game), and I think maybe for a few weeks.”
The striker looks set to miss United’s Champions League game against Basel at Old Trafford this coming week and could also be unavailable for England’s Euro 2012 qualifier in Montenegro next month.
Rooney’s absence from Ferguson’s team against Stoke was one of the key reasons United could not maintain their winning form, according to TheScore.ie’s Miguel Delaney, though the player himself predicted a much quicker return to action, tweeting: ‘Hopefully ok for Tuesday’ after news of his injury spread.
Ferguson is already without the services of Nemanja Vidic, Chris Smalling, Rafael da Silva, Tom Cleverley and Darron Gibson and saw Jonny Evans (ankle) and Javier Hernandez (dead leg) join a growing injury list on Saturday.
Michael Owen, meanwhile, has declared his wish to remain on at the club for “a few years to come” after scoring two goals in his most recent appearance in red. The former England international scored twice in United’s 3-0 Carling Cup win over Leeds during the week and insisted that he is nowhere near retirement age just yet. He told the Guardian:
“The difficult bit is explaining to people who say: ‘You’re just happy to play out your career there,’ – that I’m not. I want to play on, I don’t want to drop down leagues but I want to play on for a few more years. It’d be too much of a waste for me to retire early.
“My absolute ideal is to play where I’m playing, because it doesn’t get any better. But I’m not stupid, I know one of the best players in the world plays up front, with world-class players in behind. I’ve got great respect for the manager and I know he respects me as well. I’d love to stay at the club for a few years to come and play a big part.”