Wayne Rooney declared himself fit for England's friendly against
Egypt but sidestepped questions Monday about the widely publicized
scandals that have affected John Terry, Wayne Bridge and Ashley
Cole.
Rooney was a substitute in Sunday's League Cup final because
of a knee injury but replaced Michael Owen and headed Manchester
United's winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa to take his
tally for the season to 28.
"I went for a scan today and it's just a bit of bruising,"
Rooney said. "So I'm having a bit of a rest day today. I should
train tomorrow and should play on Wednesday."
Rooney was happy to talk about his goals for Man United -
which includes 12 in his last nine games - but refused to comment
on the off-field behavior of his England teammates.
Terry is set to start at center back against Egypt on
Wednesday but won't have the captain's armband, while there will be
no sign of Bridge or Cole at left back.
England coach Fabio Capello took the captaincy away from
Terry after weeks of daily publicity on the married player's
alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of Bridge, who has been his
teammate with Chelsea and England.
Now at Manchester City, Bridge has since said he won't play
alongside Terry with England and refused to shake hands with him
before Saturday's Chelsea-Man City game.
Cole will miss the game because of a broken bone in his foot.
But he has also been in the headlines for alleged affairs and his
pop star wife, Cheryl Cole, announced they have separated.
"To be honest, it's none of my business," Rooney said. "It's
not up to me to talk about it.
"Wayne Bridge is a fantastic player. Especially now that
Ashley Cole is injured, I'm sure that he would probably have taken
his place. It's unfortunate but it's his decision (not to play for
England). We have to respect his decision."
Rooney said he hoped Terry would get a warm reception from
the England fans despite the recent adverse publicity.
"He hasn't got the armband but he's still a great player and
a great leader," Rooney said. "The squad has been no different
since we've met up."
