Set against the time-frame of similar cases, such as his United captain Gary Neville, Rooney is facing at least two months out of the game and will therefore miss the start of the Champions League group stages, next week's international friendly against Germany at Wembley and, critically, the matches that will determine whether England can regain control of a fraught qualification campaign for next summer's European Championship.

The Independent says those close to Rooney there are concerns that injuries - and particularly broken feet - are stifling the career of the most gifted Englishman for a generation. This is the third time in three years the striker has succumbed to fractures in his contemporary yet lightweight footwear.