Wayne Rooney's World Cup doctor has warned the sidelined England
star he will risk another broken foot if he returns from injury too
soon.
Manchester United forward Rooney, out with a broken metatarsal for
the third time in three years, is desperate to make his comeback in
United's game at his former club Everton on Saturday.
That would mean just a fiveweek lay-off, the quickest return of any
top player to suffer a broken metatarsal in recent years.
David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, Gary
Neville, Scott Parker and Danny Murphy all took at least seven
weeks to recover.
Rooney was out for six weeks last year and 14 in 2004.
Professor Chris Moran, who assessed Rooney's metatarsal before the
World Cup and an expert in bone and muscle injuries, said: 'Wayne
is a fit, young lad very, very keen to return as he lives to play
football. But players must be held back to stop themselves causing
more damage. If you come back too early, there's a risk of
re-fracturing and having a setback.
'Full-blooded and combative players (like Rooney) are more likely
to get injured but Wayne's been very unlucky to have three.'
