England boss backs Fergie over Rooney use

England coach Fabio Capello believes Sir Alex Ferguson was right to play Wayne Rooney in Manchester United's Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.

Rooney was a surprise starter at Old Trafford last week after picking up an ankle injury during the closing seconds of United's first leg defeat against the German side.

Capello was quoted in The Sun as saying: "I perfectly understand Sir Alex's decision to play Rooney because he knows how important he is psychologically for the whole team."

The gamble did not pay off for Ferguson as the forward was forced off after 55 minutes after aggravating the injury, with United going on to lose the tie on away goals.

Rooney, who missed the Premier League draw at Blackburn on Sunday, will be a key figure if England are to challenge for the World Cup this summer, but Capello insists he was not concerned by Ferguson's selection of the 34-goal striker.

He continued: "I don't think he took an unnecessary risk.

"If he played Rooney after the pre-match tests, clearly his conditions allowed him to do so."

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