England boss Roy Hodgson is likely to be without striker Wayne Rooney for the March friendlies against Germany and the Netherlands after he suffered a knee injury.

The Manchester United captain was left out of their squad for Thursday’s Europa League match at FC Midtjylland.
Manager Louis van Gaal named a young squad for the clash but then confirmed Rooney’s injury ahead of his side’s trip to Denmark.

Rooney looks set to miss the next six weeks of action after picking up a knock during the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.

Confirming the problem, Van Gaal told MUTV: “He has a knee problem so we have to wait and see. He scores a lot of goals so he is very important for us. We know that but we have to cope with that.

“It’s difficult to say, but he’s injured in the game versus Sunderland and has a knee problem. We have to wait and see how long that takes. I cannot say.

“He’s a guy who wants to go until the end and if he’s feeling a pain he doesn’t want to go off. He wants to win. That’s a fantastic attitude but sometimes it’s also bad for his body.”

The former Everton frontman could miss the club’s next eight matches but Hodgson will now have to consider his options ahead of his team’s next two matches.

Rooney is not thought to be a doubt for Euro 2016, but the likes of Daniel Sturridge, Harry Kane, Danny Welbeck and Jamie Vardy will all be fighting for a starting spot in both friendlies.