Rooney feels more foot injury pain

Wayne Rooney is a doubt for England's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers against Russia and Israel after suffering a hairline fracture of his left foot on Sunday.

Foot injury
The 21-year-old Manchester United FC striker was substituted at half-time during his club side's 0-0 Premier League draw against Reading FC at Old Trafford following a clash with Michael Duberry earlier in the game. Rooney immediately went down clutching his foot and a scan after the match revealed the extent of the damage that is likely to leave him sidelined for several weeks.

'Painful blow'
Immediately after the game Rooney's manager Sir Alex Ferguson had played down the injury, saying: "It was a painful blow and Wayne could not really stand on his foot but I do not think it is as serious an injury as when he broke his metatarsal. The foot did start to swell and it was not worth starting him in the second half."

England woe
The player, who has twice before broken the metatarsal in his right foot since 2004, is now virtually certain to miss England's friendly against Germany at Wembley on 22 August and is a serious doubt for the crucial UEFA EURO 2008™ Group E qualifying games at home to Israel on 8 September and Russia four days later. He may also face a race against time to be fit for the start of Manchester United's UEFA Champions League campaign, which begins later in September.