Trinidad game too soon for Rooney

Jun 13, 2006, 15:41 GMT

Baden-Baden, Germany - Wayne Rooney will play no part in England's second World Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago as medical experts won't be able to assess his fitness before Thursday's Group B match, according to reports Tuesday.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson agreed with Rooney's club Manchester United that the 20-year-old striker would undergo a further medical assessment before being cleared to play.

United believe Rooney has no chance of playing in the group stages but Eriksson has stressed that the decision on whether Rooney should play is down to him and the player alone.

If Rooney was to have played against the Socca Warriors, he would likely first have had to have his fitness assessed by Professor Angus Wallace, an orthopaedic surgeon at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham and a former chairman of Britain's National Sports Medicine Institute.

Wallace has been chosen as the neutral medical expert in the ongoing battle between Eriksson and Manchester United over when the player is fit to return to duty.

However, it now appears that there is no chance of Rooney being medically assessed before Friday.

Rooney broke the fourth metatarsal in his right foot on April 29 in a Premiership match against Chelsea. He returned to full training with England last Thursday, and team-mate Steven Gerrard has said that despite his injury his fitness levels are similar to the rest of the squad.