Rooney Could Miss 'Weeks'

Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Wayne Rooney could miss "a few weeks" of Manchester United's season.

United served up a surprise at Stoke on Saturday, as they arrived at the Britannia Stadium without their star man. Ferguson told ESPN after the 1-1 draw that the club had endured a "nightmare" training session on Friday. And it appears Rooney was one of the casualties with a hamstring injury.

"Rooney's is not a serious injury, but it was enough to keep him out today, and I think maybe for a few weeks," Ferguson said.

United lost Jonny Evans in the warm-up, while Javier Hernandez lasted less than 10 minutes before limping off.

If Rooney's problem is as bad as feared, he could miss United's Champions League match with Basel at Old Trafford on Tuesday and possibly England's Euro 2012 qualifier in Montenegro on October 7. United also have Premier League games with Liverpool and Manchester City on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Ferguson labelled Stoke's Peter Crouch a persistent fouler after the striker netted in the 1-1 draw between the clubs as he darted between Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones to nod home a second half equaliser.

"He fouls all the time," Ferguson said. "He gets off with it because of his height, but he jumps on top of defenders all the time. He has been doing that for a long time. Referees know that. Even with the goal he has maybe caught Phil Jones. He's a handful in the air, no doubt about that."