England have been left sweating over the fitness of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

Rooney missed Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Stoke after suffering a hamstring strain in training on Friday, and manager Sir Alex Ferguson expects him to be out for "more than a week."

That rules him out of tomorrow's Champions League group opener with Basle and next weekend's date with Norwich - and leaves little margin ahead of England's trip to Montenegro on Oct 7.

They need a point to be certain of going to the finals in Poland and Ukraine next summer, and it would be a kick in the Balkans for Capello if Rooney wasn't fit.