Wayne Rooney will be unavailable for Manchester United during Saturday’s visit from Liverpool, according to late Friday night reports out of Manchester. England’s new all-time leading scorer will be sidelined by a hamstring injury, with Marouane Fellaini expected to get his first start of the season.
Rooney scored his 49th and 50th career international goals while on duty last week for the England national team, but a hamstring injury picked up this week at United’s Carrington training ground will see him miss the season’s first North West Derby. United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford for Saturday’s final Premier League kickoff.
The Manchester Evening News were first to report Rooney’s injury on Friday.
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Rooney failed to check into United’s team hotel on Friday night and is also questionable for the team’s UEFA Champions League opener on Tuesday against Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven.
Healthy upon his return from England, Rooney reportedly heard a pop from his hamstring while training on Friday – his first day back training with the team.
Though United’s first four games of the Premier League season, Rooney has played all 360 minutes, failing to record a goal or an assist while putting only three shots on target.
Captain for both club and country, Rooney’s league performances have sparked a debate as to whether he’s being used appropriately by manager Louis van Gaal, with strong performances for England and against Belgium’s Club Brugge for United helping temporarily offsetting criticisms that the 29-year-old should be played deeper in United’s formation.
Against visiting Liverpool, van Gaal is likely to choose a player who can serve as a more traditional target in Belgium international Fellaini. There is also the possibility that Anthony Martial, recently made the most expensive teenage transfer in history, could see time in Rooney’s spot, with the 19-year-old having moved to Manchester from Monaco at the close of England’s summer transfer window.
