07/06/2006

Rooney undergoes foot scan

England striker Wayne Rooney is awaiting the results of a scan on his injured foot which will determine whether or not he will be able to play in the World Cup.

The 20-year-old Manchester United player flew back to the UK from the England team's training camp in Baden-Baden in order to have the scan on his metatarsal, which he broke playing in a Premiership match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April.

Rooney was accompanied on the trip to the private Whalley Range hospital in Manchester by England team doctor Leif Sward, Manchester United's team doctor Tony Gill and FA executive director David Davies.

Gill and Sward will discuss the result of the scan with specialists at the hospital.

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson will be informed by phone of Rooney's progress.

The result of the scan is expected to be announced later on Wednesday, but it may be Thursday before the results are known.

The deadline for a decision on whether Rooney will be replaced in the squad is 1400 BST on Friday, 24 hours before England's first match against Paraguay.

If he is not fit to play, Rooney is likely to be replaced by Tottenham Hotspurs' Jermain Defoe.

Rooney has been training with the England squad in Germany and Eriksson said that he looked "very good".

However, it is thought that Rooney would not be able to play in the tournament until the quarter-finals - if England are successful in the group stages - at the earliest, as he will need to build up his fitness.

(KMcA)

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