Manchester United and England have been left sweating over the fitness of key striker, Wayne Rooney, after the front man got injured against Bayern Munich last night.

Rooney has picked up a knock to his right ankle and it looks set to keep him out of the Premier League clash against Chelsea at the weekend and the return game against Munich next Wednesday.

Rooney scored United’s away goal in Germany but his side later went on to lose 2-1 as Bayern managed to grab the winner with virtually the last kick of the game. The Rooney news just caps off a very bad evening for the United side.

Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Wayne has hurt his ankle, it’s too early to say the condition of it, but we will know tomorrow. I don’t think it is terribly serious. I don’t know. I can’t answer that [whether he’ll play against Chelsea].”

Munich’s coach added: “I don’t know if he is injured or how serious it is, but Rooney is United’s most important player. Look at the statistics. He has 34 goals this season. Then they have [Dimitar] Berbatov with 12 and then 11 own goals as their third top scorer, so that’s how important he is to United.”

If United were going to lose the game then they probably would have asked for a 2-1 loss. They have scored their away goal and they would back themselves to beat Bayern at Old Trafford.

However, United will face a much stronger side in the return game with a number of internationals and gifted players returning to the Munich side. Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose will probably start the game and winger, Arjen Robben, will return.

The bitter pill is Rooney’s injury. United will hope it isn’t a bad one and predictions are that he will only be out for around a week. However, if it is a bad one, they will have to nurse him and he may start thinking about his summer with England.

Rooney is so important and has been the sole reason for much of the team’s recent success. The problem for United is how they are going to adapt their side to make up for the influence, which Rooney has in spades.

It means that Dimitar Berbatov will probably be given the sole responsibility of leading the United attack in at least their next two games. Many would argue that these next two games are the club’s biggest of the season.

It will not fill United fans with confidence as they have said so many times in the recent past that the Bulgarian does not do enough to pull his weight in the side. Rooney brought so much to the team that United will struggle greatly now he is out.

On the other hand there is a big opportunity for someone to come in and do the magic. United need someone to step up and they need that someone to do it right now.

Tottenham Hotspur have turned their attention to try and sign Aston Villa versatile player, Nigel Reo-Coker. Spurs had been reported as trying to track Arjen Robben of Real Madrid, a high class player who has been put on the transfer list. However, with a number of clubs interested in him, Harry Redknapp has been forced to turn his attention to the domestic transfer market.

Reo-Coker has been proved a very agile player who can play in a wide variety of positions. This could have been the club’s undoing because Reo-Coker is said to have been getting increasingly frustrated by Martin O’Neill’s reluctance to allow him to play outside of the right back slot where he feels he is at his most effective.

Although Reo-Coker clearly wouldn’t be as high a quality signing as Robben, Spurs would be getting a player who has captained a club from a very young age and someone who undoubtedly has a lot of quality and experience to offer for a very young man. However, if Sours can revitalise a bid for Robben then it is unlikely he would join according to his agent, who is also his father.

He said: “It’s absolute nonsense. Arjen will certainly not join Tottenham. I will even bet a bottle of wine Arjen won’t play there.”

It’s a done thing then, especially when a large quantity of alcohol is put on the table to substantiate any doubts that anyone would have had. Many people would say that Spurs would be better off without Robben. Originally he was meant to join Manchester United but snubbed them for Chelsea where it was proved his quality was not good enough for the Premier League.

He subsequently went to join Real Madrid and now that better players than him are being bought like sweets from a candy shop he will be forced to join a club that is not as high in calibre as the big sides that he has already played for.

Reo-Coker would be a better bet in all the aspects that don’t relate to quality or skill of perfromance. He would sweat blood for the side and has already proved that he can play any role that the manager has asked him to. He also doesn’t seem to have an ego and this will please Redknapp at Spurs as this is one of the main attributes of a player that he will be looking for, all the time he is the boss at White Hart Lane.

Spurs are set to lose some quality in the middle of their team over the coming days and Redknapp will need someone who can play alongside Wilson Palacios and make good of the ball winning to turn it into quality for the likes of Robbie Keane to latch onto.

There are also reports that Spurs tried to sign the player in January so there is already an over lying interest in him from Spurs. Once a bid has been lodged or the club have been able to talk to the player then it could be a near formality that personal terms are agreed and a deal can be done.

Liverpool’s influential midfielder, Xabi Alonso, looks set to retun to his home country of Spain this summer, with Real Madrid ready to make a bid for him. All season long reports have emerged in a variety of press mediums suggesting that Alonso has become unsettled by the rotation system at Liverpool.

It is the clearest sign yet that Liverpool are going to be making massive changes this summer, which in a way mirrors the actions of the club Alonso could be joining. Madrid have already agreed a fee with Wigan for winger, Antonio Valencia, and the arrival of Alonso could compliment an entirely brand new Real Madrid system for next season.

However, Manchester United are also hot on the heels of the Wigan ace, which could prompt Madrid into intensifying their attempts to sign Alonso. If Madrid make a whopping offer for Alonso then Rafael Benitez may be inclined to let him leave. Alonso is clearly in the shadow of Steven Gerrard and is not as good a defensive midfielder as Javier Mascherano.

Liverpool would do well to get a good sum for the Spaniard and then try to go and poach David Villa from Valencia to join up with Fernando Torres in the Liverpool attack. However, nothing is yet certain but Alonso’s agent, Inaki Ibanez, suggests it could be a busy summer for his man.

He said: “Many things could happen in the summer. The first is to finish the season and after that to attend to other matters. Xabi has signed for three more years and his future depends on Liverpool.”

Liverpool have also been constantly linked with Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry, a player that nearly joined Liverpool last summer before having to play another season for Villa. His arrival could put Alonso even further back in the pegging order at Liverpool and could be just the transfer that prompts his decision to leave.

Alonso would fit in well with Madrid’s style of play. It was clear this seaosn that when Madrid got battered by Benitez’s men at Anfield, just how far off they were from other teams. The Spanish giants still have a number of big names but Alonso could be the exact sort of calm and collected individual that the club is looking to introduce into the first team.

His arrival would make the Madrid midfield a lot calmer and with Arjen Robben and possibly Antonio Valencia running up and down the wings all day long, it makes for a frightful propostion for the club’s rivals.

There remains a lot of arm wrestling over various terms and as of yet nothing has been decided, but each day the speculation grows and gets stronger and the chance to go back to Spain could be something Alonso cannot say no to. It would certainly improve his chances of getting back into the Spanish national side, as well as giving him the chance to later go and show Liverpool that they missed out on the chance of being able to mould and craft one of the most gifted European players to have ever played the game.

It is time again for one of the most historic and passionate derbies in world football as Barcelona make the trip to the Bernabeau to take in Real Madrid in La Liga.

With just four points separating Barca at the top and Madrid in 2nd then we are likely to see all of the aggression and quality that this match up can bring to the football table.

Religion and history have marked this match for the history of the derby so there is also an added spice for the fans. Barca may have one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League return leg against Chelsea and therefore it could be the perfect time for Madrid to cash in and get vital points back on the board.

Madrid will be relying on their passion and team spirit to get them through this one as Barca arguably have the edge in terms of quality within their squad. The only injury for Barca is the loss of defender Rafael Marquez who went off with a knee problem in the 0-0 draw with Chelsea.

Madrid will be drawing on all of their experience and will look for a big performance from Raul. Whether or not their manager, Juande Ramos, decides to bring back Arjen Robben after a spell out of the side remains to be seen but his inclusion will not doubt add the smallest amount of fear into the Barcelona full backs.

Madrid will have to counter the influence of Xavi and Yaya Toure in the middle of the pitch if they are to impose themselves on this game. This is without mentioning Barca’s attacking line up of Theirry Henry, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o. However, Barcelona manager, Guardiola, may decide to rest one or two with Europe in mind. Bojan may well get a start, which will suit the Madrid defence regardless of his potential, and ability.

No doubt the home support for Madrid will be a big factor. Barca have what it takes to easily boss this game in the same manner as they did against Chelsea. However, Madrid will be lifted by the fact that they don’t really have any right to be in the position they are having looked out of the title race at the turn of the year.

A victory for Madrid will put them within another victory of gaining top spot from Barca and every single Madrid fan will be taking this one as passionately and importantly as any other El Classico match in recent times. Bookings are guaranteed but hopefully goals will be the talking point and not injuries or gamesmanship.

This arguably the best Barcelona side there has ever been but the fact this match is in between their European campaign could prove the difference. Barca may have the edge in terms of man-to-man match ups but with such an important trip to London this week it will be easy for them to take their eye off the ball and allow Madrid in for what could be a decisive victory.