Rooney out for a month
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Article summary
England striker Wayne Rooney will miss the start of the season after suffering ankle ligament damage.
Article body
England striker Wayne Rooney will miss the start of the season after injuring an ankle during Everton FC's friendly encounter with Rangers FC at Ibrox on Saturday.
Carried off
The 17-year-old forward, whose first season in the English Premiership was so impressive it earned him five international caps, was carried off on a stretcher after falling awkwardly during the pre-season friendly, which Everton won 3-2.
No break
On Sunday, the club's head physio Mick Rathbone announced: "Wayne had an x-ray in Liverpool on Saturday night and fortunately there was no obvious break. He has been for a scan this morning and visited a consultant who reviewed the information and confirmed the diagnosis as damaged ankle ligaments. He will return to see the specialist in 12 days' time and we anticipate that he will be out for around four weeks."
Missed games
A lay-off period of a month would cause Rooney to miss Everton's opening league fixture at Arsenal FC, the visit of Fulham FC to Goodison Park and England's friendly against Croatia on 20 August.
