Groin injury could rule Rooney out of Man Utd run-in
Rooney had only just returned to action after an ankle injury
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney could miss the end of the season after injuring his groin in training, but should be fit for the World Cup.
England striker Rooney, 24, who has only just come back from an ankle injury, missed Saturday's 3-1 win over Tottenham because of the problem.
"Groin injuries are groin injuries, it might be two to three weeks," said United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
"We'll give it every chance, Wayne's obviously desperate to play."
Before his groin injury, Rooney had only just recovered from ankle injuries he picked up in the two Champions League quarter-final matches against Bayern Munich.
Rooney, who has scored 34 goals for United and eight international goals this season, is seen as pivotal to England's World Cup hopes in South Africa.
United, who are seeking a fourth consecutive Premier League title, only have two games remaining this season, at Sunderland on 2 May and when Stoke visit Old Trafford a week later.
England play Mexico in a friendly on 24 May at Wembley, then against Japan in another friendly in Graz in Austria on 30 May, with their first World Cup match on 12 June against the USA in Rustenburg.
Ryan Giggs scored two penalties in Saturday's win over Spurs, which returned United to the top of the table on 79 points, two ahead of second-placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand and host Stoke on Sunday.
After playing Stoke, Chelsea travel to Liverpool, and host Wigan on the last day of the season.
Rooney, favourite to win the PFA player of the year award on Sunday night, is not the only injury concern for United and England.
Captain Rio Ferdinand missed his second consecutive match, also with a groin injury, after a season plagued by back problems.
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