Rooney ‘gutted’ after injury ends Asian tour

United striker returns home after suffering hamstring tear.

BANGKOK: Wayne Rooney said he was ‘gutted’ after a hamstring injury forced him out of Manchester United’s Asian tour on the very first day with questions still unanswered about his future.

The England striker insisted the small tear, which flared just hours after United touched down in Bangkok and looks set to rule him out for a month, was not serious. But Rooney’s departure will not help new boss David Moyes’s attempts to win over the highly-paid star, who has not confirmed his intentions after departing manager Alex Ferguson said he had asked for a transfer.

“Gutted to have picked up a niggling injury especially as training was going so well, heading back to Manchester to have it assessed fully but early indications are nothing to worry about,” Rooney wrote on his Facebook page.

Rooney will now miss United’s friendlies in Thailand, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Sweden, and is in doubt for the Community Shield on August 11 and even the Premier League opener at Swansea on August 17.

The 27-year-old might also be sidelined for England’s friendly against Scotland on August 14.

The injury, announced in a two-line statement on the club website, comes after Moyes said Rooney was in his best shape in years and spoke glowingly about his relationship with his former Everton protégé.

Reports have linked Rooney with possible moves to Arsenal, Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea, who coincidentally arrive in Bangkok on Friday at the start of their pre-season Asian tour.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2013.

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