Rooney 'fit for England duty'
Wayne Rooney fit for England's World Cup double-header next week
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Thursday, 02, Oct 2008 01:36
Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney is expected to be fit for international duty next week despite injuring his ankle in midweek.
The 22-year-old was forced off during United's 3-0 away win over Aalborg in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
And fans of the national team faced an anxious wait to see if the forward would recover in time to be eligible for Fabio Capello's squad ahead of the World Cup qualifying double-header against Kazakhstan and Belarus on October 11th and 15th, respectively.
However, the news is less positive for Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who is likely to be without Rooney for this weekend's trip to Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League.
A club spokesperson told the club's official website: "Wayne has an ankle injury and is considered doubtful for Saturday's game against Blackburn.
"But he should recover in time for England's forthcoming matches."
With Rooney absent, additional responsibility will fall on the shoulders of United's new £30.75 million signing Dimitar Berbatov.
Against Aalborg, the Bulgarian scored his first and second goals for his new club since signing from Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day at the beginning of last month.
And he will be expected to lead the line when United travel to Ewood Park to face former player Paul Ince, who is now the manager of Rovers.