Rooney may not get Premiership games before England tie

EVERTON could be heading for more controversy over their handling of Wayne Rooney – just days ahead of England’s crunch trip to Turkey.

There is now the prospect that 17-year-old Rooney may not have had a full first-team game for three weeks prior to the showdown in Istanbul.

Rooney has been left on the bench for the last two Everton games, and there must now be a doubt whether boss David Moyes will use the youngster from the start at Tottenham on Saturday.

That would send Rooney off to join up with England next week having not played a full match since Everton's defeat at Middlesbrough on September 21.

When questioned over Rooney's involvement following the 4-0 win over Leeds on Sunday, and whether Moyes would continue to handle the teenager carefully, his answer was "very much so".

Moyes has plenty of striking options, increased by the return to action of Kevin Campbell and Francis Jeffers in Monday's reserve defeat by Liverpool and that means Rooney can be rested much more readily.

Rooney came on as substitute against Stockport in the Carling Cup and then late in the Leeds game, and Moyes will be hard pushed to change a winning front line at White Hart Lane.

Duncan Ferguson is in his best form for several years and Tomasz Radzinski was also hugely impressive against Leeds.

And with James McFadden also having made a fine start to his Goodison Park career, Moyes is at last able to give Rooney the rest which he believes he needs.

There have been occasions, certainly towards the end of last season, when Everton's injury crisis was so bad Rooney had to play in the chase for Champions League qualification, something Everton ultimately failed to achieve.

But now Moyes has Ferguson, Radzinski, Campbell, Jeffers and even youngster Nick Chadwick to chose from, as well as McFadden.

The opportunities are now there for the manager to carry out his long-held belief that Rooney should be carefully eased through a Premiership season.