Rooney out for four weeks as Rodallega cleared

Wayne Rooney’s hopes of a quick comeback from the nasty wound sustained in the win over Fulham look certain to be dashed. Rooney remained in hospital overnight as medical staff assessed the extent of the injury he sustained when Hugo Rodallega landed on him.

Immediately after the game, Alex Ferguson said it was “a very bad one” which would rule his forward out for four weeks. This has been emphasised by the reaction of surgeons who were “surprised” at the depth of the cut. Rooney returned home yesterday morning after a comfortable night. However, his chances of figuring in next Sunday’s Premier League encounter with Southampton appear non-existent and it seems inevitable he will also miss England’s opening World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine next month.

The one reason for optimism is when Nani needed stitches in a nasty wound, admittedly below the knee, inflicted by Jamie Carragher at Liverpool in March 2011, Ferguson immediately put the recovery timescale at three weeks, yet the Portugal winger was back in action nine days later. With the start of another Champions League campaign and a trip to Liverpool looming after the international break, any reduction would be a bonus for Ferguson.