Rooney kicks up a smile

England have until Friday to determine if the 20-year-old inspirational striker will be able to take part in the World Cup. “I know it’s big news, he’s a big football player, but let’s wait until tomorrow,” England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. “I will take a decision after that.

“It’s up to the surgeons, the doctors, the specialists, but I’ve always said I think he will be ready,” he said.

Rooney’s recovery appears to be going ahead of schedule. British newspapers on Tuesday featured photographs of Rooney doing a scissor-kick volley with his right foot during training on Monday, before England left for Germany.

“There Is A God,” blared The Sun. “Metatarsal Miracle,” said the Daily Mail. “This is the picture that will send England’s World Cup hopes soaring: Wayne Rooney leaping into the air before unleashing one of his powerful shots,” said The Daily Telegraph.

That prompted British bookmakers to cut the odds of Rooney playing in the World Cup. William Hill’s odds went from 8-13 to 4-11.

On Tuesday, in the Mittelburgstadion, a remote pitch up a hill in the Black Forest surrounded by pine trees, Rooney took part in a group ball handling session, then trained separately. He did sprint training, and drills where he darted through posts. He also kicked a ball across the pitch to and from another trainer.

England defender Gary Neville, Rooney’s teammate at Manchester United, was cautious about the striker’s recovery, warning fans not to get “too carried away.” Neville missed the 2002 World Cup with a similar injury. “I was taken to the specialist thinking I would be given the all-clear, but it wasn’t to be and it’s not always what you think,” Neville said. “I was jogging prior to my scan but I was told I had to have an operation four days later. The lad has had a broken foot – let him rehabilitate.”

If Rooney is declared unable to play, he’ll be replaced by standby striker Jermain Defoe.

–KRYSTYNA RUDZKI