Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Man Utd sack top doc as Rooney controversy rumbles on


Manchester United have sacked club doctor Mike Stone.
The Sun says Stone has embarrassed United boss Sir Alex Ferguson over Wayne Rooney's rapid recovery from his fractured metatarsal injury.

Ferguson has been publicly claiming that Rooney, 20, had little or no chance of playing in the World Cup finals.
The fiery Scot was also adamant that HE would decide if Rooney was going to Germany and NOT Three Lions chief Sven Goran Eriksson.
However, at the same time, Stone was briefing England doctor Leif Sward that Rooney's recovery from his metatarsal injury was going well.
Only a fortnight after Rooney's injury, Sward was full of praise for Stone.
Sward said: "I just talked to the doctors in Manchester and the report they gave me was very, very positive.
"We have decided Manchester United's medical team, with Mike Stone in charge, will work with Rooney's recovery. I can say they have done a tremendous job with Wayne."
Since then Sward was also briefed by Stone that Rooney was making the 'perfect recovery'.
This will have been embarrassing for Ferguson - who had originally poured scorn on the idea of Rooney playing in the finals.
Stone is also known to have regularly been at odds with United assistant-manager Carlos Queiroz.