Rooney rejoins training for good
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-09 09:03 The decision means standby striker Jermain Defoe will return to England,
although he practiced Thursday. The English Football Association had until
Friday to decide if Rooney should stay on the squad.
England opens in Group B against Paraguay on Saturday.
"If we are going to think about English players, we have to think about
Beckham, (Ashley) Cole, Neville and so many others whose names I now forget,"
Paraguay defender Delio Toledo said. "If Rooney recovers and plays, I will be
glad for him, but I am concerned about all English players."
England also plays Trinidad and Tobago on June 15 and Sweden on June 20. If
England advances to the round of 16, its match would be on June 24 or 25.
Rooney returned to Germany late Wednesday, arriving in Baden-Baden on a
private jet that brought him from Manchester, where he had spent 2 1/2 hours at
a hospital discussing the results of a scan of his foot.
Rooney had a broad smile on his face at the airport, and was immediately
whisked into a waiting car and driven away with a police escort to England's
nearby World Cup base. He made no comment.
Rooney broke his foot in Manchester United's game against Chelsea on April
29. The progress of his recovery has been closely followed ever since.
Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda in Oberhaching, Germany, contributed to
this report.
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