England striker Rooney in World Cup injury scare

Apr 29, 2006, 16:11 GMT

London - England striker Wayne Rooney suffered a worrying foot injury on Saturday and could now be doubtful for the World Cup with England's first match there just six weeks away.

The Manchester United star Rooney suffered an injury to his right foot in a challenge with Chelsea's Paulo Ferreira with 10 minutes left in the Premier League game.

The 20-year-old was stretchered off the pitch and later left the ground on crutches.

United coach Sir Alex Ferguson said it was too early to tell the extent of the injury.

'He has got a heavy knock. It's swollen but we will just have to wait and see. There's no point in making assertions at the moment,' Ferguson said.

The injury was to Rooney's right foot, the same one he broke at Euro 2004 in Portugal.

Rooney is the latest scare for England coach Sven Goran Eriksson, who also has worries over several other players of his team.

Strike-partner Michael Owen was named in the Newcastle squad for the first time on Saturday having been out since New Year's Eve after breaking a bone in his foot.

Arsenal defenders Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole have also had long spells on the sidelines.

England's first match at the World Cup in Germany is on June 10 against Paraguay. Its other group B opponents are Sweden and Trinidad and Tobago.