Rooney fit but can play only from QFs

London: Wayne Rooney's broken right foot will definitely keep him out of England's first game at the World Cup and likely through the whole group stage.

The Manchester United striker received the results of a CT scan on Friday, four weeks after the injury.

The club said another scan would take place on June 14, four days after England's opening against Paraguay, and only one day before the second game against Trinidad and Tobago.

England plays Sweden on June 20 in the final game in Group B, and Rooney seems certain to miss that, too.

If England advances to the knockout round, it would next play on June 24 or June 25. The quarter-finals are June 30 and July 1, the semi-finals July 4-5 and final July 9.

"This is very encouraging news," England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said.

"I'm looking forward to Wayne joining up with the rest of the squad on Sunday. The fact that he is flying out to Germany with us will give everyone a huge lift."

"We're still hoping that the second scan will show further improvement and that Wayne can play his part in the World Cup."

Rooney broke a metatarsal bone in his foot playing for United against Chelsea on April 29.

Since then, there had been reports that his recovery was going so well that he could even play in England's World Cup opener.

Manchester United has played down such optimism, with manager Alex Ferguson worried that Rooney might aggravate the injury if rushed back too early.

"His (Rooney) injury is progressing as expected and we now hope to gradually increase his rehabilitation as planned," Manchester United said in a statement on Friday.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson added: "Wayne has trained incredibly hard. We have continually supported Wayne with his fight to get to the World Cup but it is obvious that we have to be certain that he is physically and mentally fit."

Eriksson downplayed any disagreement with Ferguson.

"I spoke to Sir Alex Ferguson today and we had a really good conversation. Despite all the speculation, there has been a very positive dialogue with Manchester United all along," he said.