Early in the season it wouldn't have been a big deal for Wayne Rooney to miss a big Manchester United match. At least not from an actual performance standpoint. Now? The striker has been in good form and a key to the Red Devils spot atop the English Premier League as well as their position in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. That is what makes it more difficult on the club to consider playing the second leg of their semifinal tie without Rooney, something that is a real possibility after he missed training on Tuesday.
Manchester United Vs. Schalke 04, 2011 UEFA Champions League Semifinal: Wayne Rooney May Miss Match
According to the club website, “He didn’t train this morning. He has a tight hamstring so we left him today. We’ll see what he’s like tomorrow.” Rooney’s status is clearly in doubt, although ahead 2-0 coming back to Old Trafford, the Red Devils are in the driver’s seat and may not need him anyways. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like to have him and as Gene Um from SB Nation’s Manchester United blog The Busby Babe points out, missing training for him doesn’t mean he will miss the match.
It should be noted that Rooney has missed training before on the eve of a match prior to playing, however, there is speculation that he will sit out tomorrow night's match with Sunday's potential title-deciding tilt versus Chelsea FC on the manager's mind. After the loss at the Emirates to Arsenal FC this past Sunday, Fergie already hinted at changes; he specifically mentioned that Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, and Paul Scholes would be brought in for the match versus the German side.
As you can see with those names, it’s not as if anyone is going to cry for Sir Alex Ferguson or Manchester United. Rooney may be out, but they can just bring Berbatov in for him. You know, that guy with 22 goals in all competitions this season? It’s not as if the Red Devils are short on options to replace Rooney if he can’t go and in complete reality, it’s not the strikers that will tell the tale for United. As their loss to Arsenal over the weekend proved, it is the midfield that is the real issue for United.
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