Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said he doubts his star England striker Wayne Rooney will play in the World Cup finals.
The 20-year-old forward broke his foot in the 3-0 defeat at champions Chelsea on Saturday and has been ruled out of action for at least six weeks, seemingly denying him any chance of appearing in England's first match in Germany in June.
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson seems set to still include Rooney in his 23-man squad in the hope he will be fit to play in the later stages of the tournament.
But Ferguson said: "You never know, but at the moment I doubt that he'll take part because of the recovery time."
He added that Rooney's absence would be a "crippling blow" to England's chances of winning only their second World Cup to go with their 1966 triumph on home soil.
"When you see brave players staying down after a tackle you know it's genuine and he's in pain and that's what I felt with Wayne," Ferguson also told United's official website.
"At first we didn't think it was too bad, but when we sent him for the scan it identified the problem and we realised what a blow it was for the boy and for England.
"Fortunately for us we'll only be without him for two games, but without doubt it's a crippling blow for England."
