Another Rooney Miracle

Wayne Rooney is back in training today only 11 days after injuring his ankle in a freak way. Astonishing.

The 22-year-old had made amazingly rapid recoveries before: he could go to the World Cup after fracturing his metatarsal on April 29, 2006 and returned a mere five weeks after suffering the same injury in this August against Reading.

The Bolton game on Saturday is certain to be too soon for him but it's possible that he will feature against Sporting on Tuesday - the team he returned against last time.

I sincerely hope that these quick recoveries are not due to the medical staff's inclination to rush him back as early as possible. And I very much hope that the miraculously swift returns do not make him more prone to injuries. He hardly missed a game in his first three seasons but has already suffered two injuries during this campaign.

I would not say this is down to anything else than bad luck. After all, if Michael Duberry steps on your foot, it's bound to crack and injuring your ankle while playing head tennis is extraordinarily bad luck... However, happy as I am to see Rooney back as early as possible, the doubts are nagging at me: wouldn't it be better to allow him longer periods of rehabiliation, in order to ensure the longest possible career for him?