No FA sanction for Rooney

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has escaped punishment from the Football Association following his elbow on Wigan’s James McCarthy.

The England striker appeared to catch the Wigan midfielder on the side of the head in the opening ten minutes of United’s 4-0 English Premier League win over Roberto Martinez’s Wigan on Saturday.

Referee Mark Clattenburg saw the incident and decided to award a free-kick against Rooney but stopped short of showing a card to the United man, who scored his side’s third goal of the game.

Wigan manager Martinez felt the England international should have been sent off for the challenge, while United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted he was bracing himself for a media storm to be created following the incident.

But after receiving Clattenburg’s report, the FA – who could have used video evidence to charge the forward with violent conduct – opted to take no further action against Rooney.

Clattenburg told the FA on Monday that he felt he took the appropriate action, which under Premier League rules means the governing body cannot launch disciplinary proceedings against the 25-year-old.

The striker will now be available for United’s trip to reigning Premier League champions Chelsea on Tuesday.