Manchester United injury update: Wayne Rooney a doubt for EFL Cup final

Wayne Rooney will not only miss Manchester United’s Europa League match against Saint-Étienne, but could also be ruled out of Sunday’s EFL Cup final clash against Southampton.

The Manchester United skipper suffered a muscle injury in United’s 3-0 win away to Leicester City, and is yet to recover since. He has missed three games after that, and looks all set to be on the sidelines for at least a week more.

Jose Mourinho revealed in his pre-match press conference on Monday that Rooney will miss the Europa League tie against Saint-Étienne, and there is no guarantee that he will play on Sunday. England defender, Phil Jones, is also injured.

The Portuguese said, as quoted by The Times:

Rooney is injured and Phil Jones is injured. I don’t think they will recover [to face Saint-Étienne]. Rooney and Jones haven’t trained with the team yet so I don’t think they will be there.”

When asked if Rooney could miss Sunday’s match, Mourinho replied: “I don’t know.”

United face Chelsea in their next FA Cup tie, and odds are against them to beat the Premier League leaders in the quarter-final. Should United suffer a defeat, Rooney may not play at Wembley again this season.

The 31-year-old has still plenty to offer, but given his diminishing role in the side, it is very clear that Mourinho wants to groom young players instead.

Meanwhile, United are still waiting to learn about their re-arranged derby fixture against Manchester City. The Red Devils were supposed to face their derby rivals at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, but the game has been postponed due to United’s participation in the EFL Cup final.

Source: newsnow.com