Wayne Rooney may miss Bayern Munich tie
Manchester United's hopes of knocking out Champions League holders Bayern Munich have been dealt a potentially devastating blow after it emerged that Wayne Rooney is a major doubt for next week's quarter-final clash in Germany
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney is a doubt for Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Bayern Munich because of a toe injury.
The England striker, 28, who picked up the problem in Tuesday's 1-1 first leg draw, will miss United's Premier League game at Newcastle on Saturday.
United manager David Moyes, who is already without Robin van Persie for up to six weeks, said: "He's got a badly bruised toe. It could be a problem for the Munich match."
It is understood that he suffered the injury before a late foul by Bastian Schweinsteiger that resulted in the Bayern midfielder’s sending-off and Rooney being accused of diving.
Previous United manager Sir Alex Ferguson ruled the forward out of the second leg in 2010 after he suffered an ankle injury in the opening game in Munich.
However, the striker recovered to start the second leg at Old Trafford, albeit he could not prevent United going out of the competition on away goals.
The absence of Rooney would be a bitter blow for Manchester United.
In this Champions League campaign, he has played eight games and scored two goals against Leverkusen, but his pivotal role extends beyond the bare statistics.
