Rooney making 'positive' progress

[BBC Sport]

England striker Wayne Rooney is stepping up his bid to be fit for the World Cup, according to England's team doctor.http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/f...and/4767817.stm

[davieG]

England striker Wayne Rooney is stepping up his bid to be fit for the World Cup, according to England's team doctor. http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/f...and/4767817.stm

From the Times:

Positive Rooney winning race against time for World Cup

By Matt Dickinson, Chief Football Correspondent

WAYNE ROONEY’S recovery from a broken metatarsal is progressing so well that the Manchester United striker could play for England as early as the group stage at the World Cup finals. The upbeat medical bulletin will not only lift Sven-Göran Eriksson’s mood but that of the whole country as it counts down to the tournament. The initial forecast of six weeks’ recovery time was met with scepticism, but Rooney, 20, has been told that he could be pulling on his England shirt in time for the third match, against Sweden on June 20, at his present rate of recuperation .

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Although it is notoriously hard to predict when players might return from such injuries and while there is a reluctance to heap too much pressure on England’s most important player, Rooney is known to be setting about his recovery work with a growing confidence that he can play a significant role for his country in Germany next month.

That is in stark contrast to his initial despair at Stamford Bridge 13 days ago, when he believed that a fracture to the fourth metatarsal in his right foot had wrecked his chances of going to the finals.

Already free of the protective casing around his foot, Rooney is walking without discomfort and will step up his training next week. He has abandoned the oxygen tent that was supposed to hasten his recovery because it was making him feel nauseous, but, otherwise, the United medical staff are delighted. He sustained one main fracture and another small crack, but recent scans have put Rooney and his doctors in good heart.

While the rest of the England players will head to Portugal on Monday to begin their preparations, Rooney will stay in Manchester to continue his race for fitness. Fifa has said that the striker must travel to Germany with the squad on June 5. The tournament starts four days later.

The optimistic forecasts from Old Trafford may help to explain why Eriksson, who has selected only four forwards, did not pick more cover in attack when he named his 23-man World Cup squad on Monday. While acknowledging that Rooney must still be regarded as fragile, the head coach is working on the basis that he will have a full complement of players by the knockout rounds.

England kick off against Paraguay on June 10 and Rooney has been told to abandon any idea of playing in Frankfurt. The next match, against Trinidad & Tobago in Nuremberg, comes five days later, with Sweden to follow — more than seven weeks after the striker felt an agonising pain at Stamford Bridge when he went down under a challenge from Paulo Ferreira, the Chelsea defender.

Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, has described as “half-baked” the idea that England could take an 80 per cent fit Rooney to Germany but, with such tantalising signs that he could be back in full training by early June, Eriksson will give him every chance.

Further good news for the departing head coach came from Michael Owen, who expects to play a full part in training next week. While many of his international team-mates will be relaxing with their families in Portugal after a long domestic season, England’s principal goalscorer will be put through strenuous workouts.

The Newcastle United striker has played for only 29 minutes since breaking his fifth metatarsal on New Year’s Eve but his doctors have reassured him that the bone has healed properly and that he simply has to overcome nagging pains as he puts more strain on the outside of his foot.

[Ricey]

Good news bit I'm refraining from getting too excited about it, either way I don't think he'll play in the group stages unless we need a victory against Sweden.