England manager Gareth Southgate has suggested that Wayne Rooney's omission from the squad to face Germany and Lithuania was down to his lack of playing time this season rather than a recent knee injury.
The 31-year-old missed Monday's FA Cup clash with Chelsea due to a collision with Phil Jones in training, but Southgate expects the United and England skipper to be available for Sunday's match against Middlesbrough.
However, Rooney has not been included in the latest 26-man squad having started just once in the Premier League since before Christmas.
"I've talked with Wayne and I think there's a chance he's fit for the weekend," Southgate told reporters.
"But also, the injury, coupled with the fact he's really not had a lot of game time recently, and others have in that area of the pitch, has sort of determined my decision on that one."
The likes of Jermain Defoe, Nathan Redmond and Marcus Rashford have been included in the squad.
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
