Injury forces Rooney out of England date with Belarus
ENGLAND striker Wayne Rooney last night pulled out of Wednesday’s final World Cup qualifier against Belarus after suffering a calf injury.
Rooney picked up the knock during Saturday’s shock 1-0 defeat in Ukraine – their first loss in a competitive match under Fabio Capello.
Head coach Capello is unlikely to call up a replacement for a match that England do not need to win, having already booked their place at next summer’s finals.
And Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has given the squad a boost by staying with the party despite being taken off at half-time.
But United goalkeeper Ben Foster was drafted into the squad yesterday as a replacement for Robert Green, who is suspended following his sending-off in Dnipropetrovsk.
Rooney was one of England’s best performers on an underwhelming occasion that will be better remembered for flares thrown onto the pitch and Green’s red card. The 23-year-old now faces a course of treatment in a bid to recover for United’s Premier League fixture against Bolton at the weekend.
With Rooney injured, Capello could try Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor up front alongside club colleague Emile Heskey. West Ham’s Carlton Cole is another option already in the squad, while Gerrard could be pushed further forward.
Green’s red card, meanwhile, came after defender Rio Ferdinand had misjudged a long ball forward and failed to keep pace with Ukraine striker Artem Milevskyi. The penalty may not have resulted in a goal but it reduced the visitors to 10 men and was the latest in a recent series of uncharacteristic errors from Ferdinand.
But despite acknowledging a dip in the 30-year-old’s standards, Capello backed the centre-back to rediscover his form. Asked whether he had concerns about Ferdinand, the Italian responded sharply: “No. He made one mistake during the game. It was a long ball that bounced and he didn’t judge the direction well.
“But after that he played a good game. At this moment he is making some mistakes but you cannot question Rio’s value.”