Mystery surrounds the fitness of Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, with some British newspapers suggesting he has suffered a recurrence of the toe injury he picked up last month.
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caption:Wayne Rooney has been battling a toe injury since last month.
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Other reports claimed the 28-year-old England striker withdrew from training at United's Carrington headquarters on Thursday after being struck down by a stomach bug, yet reports that Rooney has undergone a scan on an injury will concern both United and England boss Roy Hodgson with the World Cup finals now just over a month away.
Rooney's participation in United's game against Sunderland on Saturday may now be in doubt, with interim boss Ryan Giggs likely to shed more light on the problem when he faces the media on Friday.
Rooney has endured a troubled few months with nagging injury problems, but he has still played 27 Premier League games for United this season and scored an impressive total of 17 goals for what has been a struggling team.
Giggs is also likely to give an update on the fitness of Robin van Persie on Friday, after the Dutch striker returned to training with United in recent days.
England coach Hodgson will name his World Cup squad on May 12, with Rooney certain to be a key man in his line-up heading into Brazil 2014.