Rooney suffers fractured foot in United opener

Aug 12, 2007, 20:33 GMT

Manchester, England - It was bad enough for Manchester United that the club opened its season with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Reading on Sunday, but the team received even worse news following the game when it was revealed that striker Wayne Rooney had suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot during the first half.

Rooney was taken out of the game at halftime after he was caught on the left foot by Reading defender Michael Duberry, who was trying to block Rooney's shot.

Rooney left the field for a few minutes before returning to finish out the first half. Sir Alex Ferguson then replaced him with Nani after halftime.

'It was painful, he couldn't really stand on it,' Ferguson told Sky Sports. 'I don't think it's the same injury as the last, obviously we hope and pray that that's the case. But it was sore and it started to swell so there was no point in trying anything for the second half.'

Rooney has a history of foot problems as he broke a bone in his foot in both the 2004 and 2006 seasons, and now faces another layoff because of a similar ailment.

No timetable has been set for the 21-year-old strikers return, but with injuries already depriving United of strikers Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rooney's return to form will be important. All of the injuries will place a big burden on the shoulders of newly-signed Argentine Carlos Tevez, who did not play in Sunday's game but will take on a big role upon his debut, which should come Wednesday in the team's next game at Portsmouth.

The injury also could keep Rooney out of action for England's upcoming EURO 2008 qualifiers next month.

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