Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney won’t travel with his teammates for their Europa League clash with Saint Etienne on Wednesday night.
The 31-year-old returned to training on Tuesday morning, as per Sky Sports, but he hasn’t been selected by Jose Mourinho for the second leg of their tie with the Ligue 1 outfit.
United boast a commanding 3-0 lead on aggregate, and it appears as though they won’t be taking any chances with Rooney who has been sidelined with a muscular problem since February 1.
It’s added in the report that it remains unclear as to whether the England international will feature in the EFL Cup final against Southampton at the weekend, and fitness aside, it will lead to further doubts over his role in the team and his long-term future at Old Trafford.
The report goes on to add that Rooney trained in a 10-man group with the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial at Carrington on Tuesday, but he seemingly hasn’t been passed fit enough to travel.
As noted by The Independent, Rooney has been linked with a move to China before the end of the month, with the CSL transfer window not yet closed.
His absence this week will largely be down to injury, but his ongoing absence won’t silence talk of his future at United which remains in doubt given his diminishing role in the squad under Mourinho having been given a bit-part role in recent months.
United squad vs St Etienne: De Gea, O’Hara, Romero; Bailly, Blind, Fosu-Mensah, Rojo, Smalling, Valencia, Young; Carrick, Fellaini, Mata, Mkhitaryan, Pogba, Lingard, Schweinsteiger; Ibrahimovic, Martial, Rashford.