Wayne Rooney will be out of action for at least a month after he suffered one of the most gruesome sports injuries in recent memory.
The Manchester United and England star was cut deeply on his thigh during a Premier League game on Saturday.
The incident occurred near the end of United’s 3-2 win over Fulham.
Hugo Rodallega took a shot at the United goal, and Rooney lunged to block the ball. The Fulham striker was momentarily airborne, and one of his studs landed on Rooney’s outstretched leg. The combination of the raking motion and the force of impact caused a deep gash on Rooney’s right thigh.
Rooney, 26, was immediately treated and stretchered off the field. He went straight to the hospital, where he spent the night. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says it will be some time before the 26-year-old plays again, according to the Telegraph.
“Wayne is off to the hospital and it looks as if he will be out for four weeks,” Ferguson said after the game. “We have to take care of these things in terms of infection, but hopefully he will be OK. Rodallega followed through with his shot and has obviously caught him, but it was an accident, of course. It looked a really bad one, though.”
It will take at least a month for the gaping wound to heal without the risk of reopening. Rooney will certainly miss England’s FIFA World Cup qualifying games against Moldova (Sept. 7) and Ukraine (Sept. 11). He will also miss United’s league games against Southampton, Wigan and Liverpool. He could return in time to face Tottenham on Sept. 29.
Check out the gash in the photo below, compliments of BusinessInsider.com.
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