England striker Wayne Rooney will sleep in an oxygen tent to boost his chances of recovering from a foot injury in time for the World Cup, the Sun reported.
The 20-year-old broke the fourth metatarsal of his right foot following a challenge by Paulo Ferreira in Manchester United's 3-0 loss at Chelsea on April 29. He will be out for six weeks, until about the time the World Cup starts on June 9.
The 12-by-8-foot tent will help bone marrow to produce more red blood cells, the paper said. Rooney will have a second scan in two days, the Daily Telegraph added.
World ruling body FIFA will allow England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to name Rooney in his 23-man squad on May 15 and replace him as late as June 9 if he isn't fit, the Telegraph reported, citing FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren.
United coach Alex Ferguson said yesterday it was a ``wild dream'' for Eriksson to suggest Rooney could be fit to play in the quarterfinals of the showpiece.
``If he's not fit, he's not going,'' Ferguson told the club's Web site.
Middlesbrough coach Steve McClaren will be paid 3 million pounds ($5.5 million) a year to succeed Eriksson after the World Cup, according to the Sun. The Football Association will make the appointment this week after Portugal's Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari withdrew from the running. |