And there are fears that Rooney could be ruled out for up to two months.
Rooney faces a fitness battle after undergoing complex surgery on the deep gash he suffered in United's 3-2 win over Fulham in the Barclays Premier League.
The cut to Rooney's leg is understood to have been so severe that it astounded surgeons who operated on him in hospital on Saturday night. The gash — caused by the studs of Fulham striker Hugo Rodallega — was deep enough to cut all the way to the thigh bone and required surgery under general anaesthetic.
Rooney had to have stitches to the muscle and then to close up the wound. The England striker spent the night in hospital before being allowed home on Sunday.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson suggested after the game at Old Trafford that Rooney would be out for four weeks, therefore missing England's two forthcoming World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.
That prognosis will be revised this week. Rooney will need some time to recover from the general anaesthetic and will then have to undergo a period of rehabilitation as the muscle heals.
Rooney, 26, is already expected to miss United's forthcoming games against Southampton and Wigan. However, if his recovery takes longer he will miss the first of United's Champions League games and important domestic games against Liverpool and Tottenham.
With Ferguson known to have misgivings about Rooney at the moment, the season certainly couldn't have started much worse for last season's United top scorer.
Rooney was only on the field as a substitute on Saturday and, though Ferguson's comments in his matchday programme notes about 'helping' unhappy players out of the club were not specifically about his star striker, it is clear that he may find his way back into the starting line-up blocked by players like Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa when he returns to fitness.
Ferguson is understood to have been dismayed by Rooney's performance against Everton a week ago and made his decision to drop him during the week. Rooney knew of the decision by Friday lunchtime.
Regarding the injury, there was a feeling on Saturday night that the gash may have been caused by a 'bladed' stud, the type that is banned by Ferguson among young players at United.
However, it transpired yesterday that Rodallega was wearing traditional studs. He wears Nike boots, as does Rooney.
Rooney's absence is bad news for England manager Roy Hodgson, of course. He can only hope that the United forward is back in time for the second international double- header in October. At the moment that is not certain.
IMOH, Patrick E.
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