Rooney Should Rest On Wednesday

Wayne Rooney was caught by the studs of Jamie Carragher at Anfield on Saturday and he had to be brought off immediately, with his thigh bleeding. The striker is now a doubt for the game against Lille on Wednesday.

Rooney will have a scan to reveal whether his injury has sufficiently healed for him to play. But I believe he should be rested anyway.

He's still struggling to find his best form though he always produces flashes of brilliance and anyone who criticise him should remember that he scored 9 goals and claimed 9 assists in the league which is not bad.

A rest would be good for him at this moment. His injury is unlikely to be grave but why risk him, even if he's passed fit? We should dispose of Lille without him as our defenders must be able to keep a clean sheet at home against a mediocre team when we do not have to risk. If things don't go as planned, Rooney can be still brough on from the bench.

Anyway, I'm sickened by the fact that Larsson leaves us. One might argue he did not make the impact we all were hoping for but mind you, we had one more striker who proved his capabilities more than once and could always be relied upon. I still believe he should have been a substitute rather than a sure starter (tonight's Lille game is an exception) but his departure will be a big loss, especially in the light of Solskjaer's surgery and Fergie's reluctance to give Smith even a few minutes.

Anyway, have we ever seen Saha playing with Larsson up front? They were on the park at Lens and at the Craven Cottage but that was not a traditional 4-4-2, with Rooney also on the pitch. Before he goes, I'd like to see his partnership with Saha. Best opportunity for experimenting with it is the Lille game so that's another pathetically strained argument from me to rest Roo!

I usually hate international breaks but this one will be welcome as United have shown signs of tiring. Physically, of course, playing in international games will not do anything to ease the lads' legs but mentally, a change of scene could be refreshing. And Ole would be back for the end of the month to give us something we'll lack after Larsson's departure: a fit, trusted (by the manager, I mean) substitute striker.

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