Manchester United’S pre-season injury crisis let manager Sir Alex Ferguson forced to splash cash to Tottenham and agree to pay £28m, the asking price for Bulgarian Star Dimitar Berbatov.
Ferguson has revealed Wayne Rooney is unlikely to play the start of the Premier League as he struggles to shake off a virus picked up in Nigeria. Micheal Carrick picked up the same virus but Fergie believes Carrick will be ready to take part in the community shield against Portsmouth.
Rooney joins Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson and Owen Hargreaves on the list of players who look set to miss the start of United’s defence of their Premier League crown.
If the on-off Berbatov saga does not come to a satisfactory conclusion for the Reds boss, he is ready to compete with neighbours City for Blackburn’s in-demand South American hitman Roque Santa Cruz who he could land for £15m.
Ferguson said: “I’m starting to worry about whether we are going to have a team ready for the start of the season because Nani is suspended, Anderson is at the Olympics and I doubt if we will get Rooney fit after the virus he has had.
“He picked it up in Nigeria and it’s not a nice one. It’s 12 days until the season starts and he’s not been able to train.”
Rooney’s likely absence has intensified United’s need for extra firepower with Louis Saha also set to leave Old Trafford for Roy Keane side’s Sunderland.
