Moyes adamant Rooney is injured

DAVID MOYES has hit back in the Wayne Rooney injury row, claiming Everton have the scans to prove the player should miss England’s trip to South Africa.

The 17-year-old was sent to a private Merseyside clinic yesterday for a full examination of the knee injury he sustained in the final game of the season against Manchester United.

And Everton claims those scans show Rooney has a “grade one medial ligament injury”, which normally requires a rest of up to three weeks.

After the 2-1 defeat by the champions, Moyes said that Rooney was out of the South Africa trip and probably the games with Serbia and Montenegro, as well as the Euro 2004 qualifier with Slovakia on June 11.

That provoked claims that the injury was timed too well, after earlier disputes between Moyes and England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson over the Croxteth teen’s availability.

But Eriksson went ahead and has named Rooney in his squad for the trip nonetheless.

However, Moyes responded: “I am sure there are a lot of people thinking I am pulling him out because I don’t want him to go to South Africa. But this is a genuine injury and we have the scans there to prove it.”

Announcing his squad, Eriksson seemed determined that Rooney should report to England’s get-together next Sunday for an assessment of the injury. If Eriksson insists on seeing for himself, it may only harden the stance of Everton, who may resent their word being doubted and the striker having to go to London with a knee injury.

England squad for friendly vs South Africa:

James (West Ham), Robinson (Leeds), Walker (Leicester); A Cole* (Arsenal), Bridge* (Southampton), Mills (Leeds), P Neville (Man Utd), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Southgate (Middlesbrough), Terry (Chelsea), Upson (Birmingham City); Beckham (Man Utd), Scholes (Man Utd), Dyer (Newcastle), Jenas (Newcastle), Hargreaves* (Bayern Munich), Murphy (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Sinclair (West Ham); Owen (Liverpool), Heskey (Liverpool), Rooney (Everton), Vassell (Aston Villa), Beattie* (Southampton).

* Players marked with an asterisk will join up with squad after friendly with South Africa.