Manchester United‘s hopes for a strong finish to their season may have gone up in smoke now that Wayne Rooney has been sidelined. What was thought to be just a tweak that would stop him from playing in the Europa League this week has instead been revealed as something considerably worse.
According to the Telegraph, Rooney suffered knee ligament damage and could be sidelined for as long as two months. The Man United and England captain is not expected back until the end of March at the very earliest, meaning he will almost certainly miss the Round of 32 in the Europa League, the FA Cup match against Shrewsbury and key Premier League matches against Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Manchester City.
With Wayne Rooney out, Louis van Gaal will likely have to either move Anthony Martial to the forward position or take a chance on the struggling Memphis Depay.
As for the Three Lions, Rooney’s absence will very costly to Roy Hodgson with the team’s starting forward poised to miss significant time leading up to England’s participation in Euro 2016. He will likely miss a pair of international friendlies against Germany and Netherlands.
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