Wantaway Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney looks to be out of action for around a month with a hamstring problem.
Rooney, 27, travelled with the club to Thailand for their pre-season tour of the Far East on Wednesday but will now return to Manchester to have the injury assessed.
Rooney is believed to have picked up the injury in training, and after a scan yesterday it was decided he would return to England.
Speculation around the forward’s future has been rife recently, with rumours suggesting Barcelona and even Arsenal and Chelsea are preparing to make bids for United’s fourth all-time highest goal scorer.
However, this injury could put any move on the rocks, and he is now a doubt for United’s Community Shield clash with Wigan on August 11, and their opening Premier League tie at Swansea on August 17.
Writing on his Facebook page, Rooney said: “Gutted to have picked up a niggling injury especially as training was going so well, heading back to Manchester to have it assessed fully but early indications are nothing to worry about.”
It has been repeatedly said by team-mates and manager David Moyes that Rooney is in the best shape he has been for a long time, and was training better than ever.
The injury will dampen United’s pre-season spirit, but the club will still be more focussed on keeping the striker at Old Trafford next season altogether.
At a press conference last week, Moyes, who managed Rooney at Everton, said he ‘would remain a Manchester United player’.
Image courtesy of Yahoo, via YouTube, with thanks.
For more on this story and many others, follow Mancunian Matters on Twitter and Facebook.
