Rooney was hit hard on the ribs by the ball at the end
of the first half of the Red Devils’ 2-2 Champions League
quarter-final first leg at home to Porto on Tuesday
night.
He bravely played on but was clearly in some discomfort
as he left the ground after the game. Striker Rooney, 23, will be
checked today and the hope is he has only heavy bruising. But even
that could keep him out of Saturday’s trip to Sunderland.
United have lost two of their last three Premier League
games and only won Sunday’s home clash with Aston Villa 3-2 thanks
to a last-gasp goal.
They gave up a 2-1 lead against Porto to draw 2-2. It
is now likely they will have to become the only English club to win
at Porto if they want to progress into the semis.
And with Dimi Berbatov still out with an ankle problem,
it will be a massive blow to be without Rooney on
Wearside.
Boss Ferguson is also sweating over Rio Ferdinand, who
has a groin injury. Fellow defender Jonny Evans is likely to miss
the game with a similar problem.
