Blackburn boss Mark Hughes is convinced there is a need for tougher football boots.

He is concerned at the number of foot injuries players are suffering - the latest involving Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney - and believes the boots used are at the root of the problem.

Hughes, a former United striker himself, said: "It is a worry and something we need to look at.

"The boots are designed by people who have not played the game and do not know the intensity of how it is played.

"The vast majority of boots when I played were leather with laces down the middle.

"Now the laces are on the back, the side and underneath, all over the place.

"Some of the materials that are being used do not seem to be of the correct solidity or substance as there have been a lot of injuries."