Thaindian News

London, May 12 (ANI): With 2010 football World Cup finals being less than four weeks away, England boss Fabio Capello has said that he has inherited a shattered and drained Wayne Rooney.

England’s chances of winning the World Cup rest on Rooney’s performance and in the last few weeks, the 24-year-old striker has fought to play despite knee, ankle and groin injuries.

Capello said: “He has played a lot of games this season. At the end of it he looked very tired.”

The Italian believes Rooney probably needed more rest after injuring an ankle against Bayern Munich and returning to England on crutches.

Rooney was back for the return leg of the Champions League quarterfinal a week later but groin problems followed, the Daily Express reports.

“After the ankle injury, the balance of his body was not the same, so it is easy to get injured,” Capello said.

Now Capello believes Rooney must rest and recuperate in order to fire on all cylinders in England’s opening World Cup game against the USA on June 12.

The England manager insisted: “I think Rooney will be fit in a short time. I hope so because he is a very important player for us.”

Capello and his staff will monitor Rooney closely in the Austrian Alps and he could be rested or used sparingly in the two warm-up games. England’s head coach is hoping the camp will recapture the spirit, which helped the team qualify for South Africa so emphatically. (ANI)