Manchester United captain, Wayne Rooney, has been ruled out for two months with a knee injury, according to multiple reports.
The United captain was left out of the 18-man squad travelling to face Danish side FC Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday.
United manager Louis van Gaal was due to speak to the media at 17:00 GMT on Wednesday, where Rooney’s admission from the squad was set to be addressed.
However, reports began to emerge that Rooney had suffered a knee injury and would be out of action for the next two months.
“It is unclear when, and how, the injury occurred but it is understood that the England camp have been informed about the situation by United,” reported the Times.
If Rooney is facing such a period on the sidelines, it will be a significant blow both to his club and country. United are currently fifth in the Barclays Premier League, six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City with 12 rounds of top-flight fixtures to go.
And Van Gaal, whose position has been under increasing scrutiny, admitted after Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Sunderland that winning the Europa League was looking the most viable route into the Champions League for his side. Meanwhile, England have a double-header of international friendlies next month against Germany and Holland as they continue their preparations for this summer’s Euro 2016 finals. Three Lions head coach Roy Hodgson said on Saturday that skipper Rooney – England’s all-time record goalscorer – will be ”a player we need to depend upon” at the tournament in France. Rooney has netted three times in four appearances for England this season, and is United’s top scorer this term with 14 goals in all competitions.
