Rooney Out For 4 Weeks?

Wayne Rooney is facing between two and four weeks on the sidelines with a sprained ankle, Sky Sports News understands.

The Manchester United and England talisman had the nation holding their breath as he crumpled in a heap on the turf at the Allianz Arena in the closing seconds of the 2-1 UEFA Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich.

Rooney, who had bagged his 34th goal of an astonishing season with just 64 seconds on the clock in the quarter-final first leg meeting, had to be helped from the field and later left the stadium on crutches.

Replays of the incident showed he had turned his right ankle when he landed awkwardly, causing immediate concern for Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson and England counterpart Fabio Capello.

The fears of the national team appear to be have been alleviated by the initial prognosis, but the Red Devils will be without their attacking ace for a significant spell during the title run-in and he will undergo a scan on Thursday.

Ferguson's men, who head the Premier League by one point from Chelsea, play host to their title rivals at Old Trafford on Saturday lunchtime in what could well prove to be a pivotal moment in the season.

The return leg of their European showdown with Bayern follows next Wednesday when United know they must score if they are to progress to the semi-finals of the competition.

Rooney can expect to miss the trip to Blackburn on 11th April and may also struggle to be involved in the Manchester derby with City at Eastlands the following weekend and the home meeting with Spurs on 24th April.

That would leave the 24-year-old with just the Premier League encounters against Sunderland and Stoke to regain match sharpness in domestic action before attention turns to England's World Cup bid in South Africa.

Midfielder Darren Fletcher, speaking after the Bayern defeat, knows that Rooney's absence will have an impact on the Red Devils, but is confident they have players in reserve who can help fill the void.

"It would be a massive blow for us if Wayne doesn't play because he has had a fantastic season," said Fletcher.

"He scored again for us and he is quite obviously one of the best players in the world.

"But we have other good players. If Wayne isn't available, we will rally round.

"Berbatov, Valencia and Giggs came off the bench against Bayern so we still have a lot of quality."