It was a surprise to many that Wayne Rooney was left out of the 18-man Europa League squad for FC Midtjylland. Many thought that he was being rested in order for him to focus on Manchester United’s Premier League battle as they sit fifth, six points behind the final Champions League spot.
However, it is confirmed that the Manchester United captain has been hit with a knee ligament injury. The 30-year-old English forward has a knee ligament injury that’ll keep him out 6-8 weeks.
Blow to United with tough fixtures ahead
The Englishman has been on fire with the turn of the calendar from 2015 to 2016, bagging seven goals in nine games in all competitions. Now, Rooney is set to miss Premier League fixtures against Arsenal, Watford, West Brom, Crystal Palace, and Manchester City. He could also miss matches against Everton, Tottenham, and Aston Villa.
In terms of European and cup competitions, he’ll miss both legs against FC Midtjylland and potentially other fixtures should United advance further in the Europa League. Also, he’ll be absent for the FA Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town, and the FA Cup sixth round tie should United defeat the League One side.
Battling for fitness ahead of the European Championships
With this knee ligament injury sidelining the England captain and forward for 6-8 weeks, England manager Roy Hodgson might need to assess more potential forward options for the European Championships. England have two friendlies while Rooney is out, against Holland and Germany, but that isn’t Hodgson’s main concern. His main worry is to have Rooney back at full fitness for this summer.
The last time Rooney suffered a major injury ahead of a major tournament was before the 2006 World Cup. He suffered a metatarsal injury and struggled to get back to full fitness ahead of the tournament so it will be a battle against the clock for the England’s captain.