London: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will be out of action for six weeks after breaking a bone in his foot in Saturday's Premier League match against Chelsea, a major blow to England's World Cup hopes.
The 20-year-old grimaced in pain and lay clutching his right foot after a challenge by defender Paulo Ferreira 10 minutes from the end of United's 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.
"He's got a heavy knock," United manager Alex Ferguson said after the game.
Rooney traveled back to Manchester with his teammates before heading straight to a private hospital, where the extent of his injury was revealed.
With England's opening World Cup game against Paraguay on June 10 exactly six weeks away, coach Sven-Goran Eriksson faces a serious problem.
Rooney was expected to be England's strongest player at the World Cup in Germany and his absence could derail the team's chances of winning the title for the first time in 40 years.
Rooney fractured a metatarsal in the 2004 European Championship quarterfinal against Portugal. He left the field and was out of action for three months.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, whose team retained the Premier League title by beating second-place United, said he felt "scared" for Rooney, whose earlier challenge on John Terry had left the England defender hobbling with a gashed leg.
"I think England need the boy, the World Cup needs the boy," Mourinho said. "I know Paulo didn't touch him and the worst injuries are the ones without contact. The Rooney tackle on JT (Terry) was a nasty one but, 10 stitches, and he will be ready again."
Michael Owen, another key player for England, played the last 30 minutes of Newcastle's 0-0 draw with Birmingham City. He was limping near the end. It was his first game since breaking his right foot on New Year's Eve.
Team officials said he would see a specialist on Monday.
"When he (Owen) came in he said he was a little bit concerned. He wasn't quite 100 percent happy with it," Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder said. "But no sharp pain."
"The thought of Rooney and Owen not playing for England is not worth thinking about," Roeder added.
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