Van Bommel hopes Rooney will play tonight

(GSM) – His teammate at Bayern München Arjen Robben said he was hoping to avoid Wayne Rooney tonight, but Mark van Bommel says he hopes the Manchester United striker will be fit for the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

“Personally, I hope Rooney can play,” said the Bayern skipper. “That would be great for everyone watching and great for the Champions League.

“But Manchester United are not only Wayne Rooney. Sure, he’s scored a lot of goals this season, but they have a superb squad and whoever they bring in will pose a threat. We will give our best. It’s not important to us whether Rooney plays or not.

“The most important thing is that we believe in ourselves and in playing our own game. We believe we have a big chance this season and we want to go as far as possible, but we know we face a very difficult challenge.”

Rooney’s chances of recovering in time for tonight’s game seem minimal. United’s superstar picked up an ankle injury in last week’s match at the Allianz Arena (2-1 loss) and is expected to miss tonight’s decisive match at Old Trafford.