LONDON, Aug 6: Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is likely to miss the start of the Premier League season because of a virus he picked up during his club’s trip to Nigeria, manager Alex Ferguson said on Tuesday.

“I doubt we’ll get Rooney fit for the start of the season with this virus he has had... It’s a bad virus, he has not been training,” Ferguson told a news conference broadcast on Sky Sports News.

Rooney has not trained since returning from Nigeria, where Premier League champions United played FA Cup winners Portsmouth in a friendly in Abuja on July 27.

The 22-year-old did not play in that match and has missed his club’s two subsequent pre-season fixtures against Espanyol and Peterborough.

Michael Carrick has suffered the same virus but United hope the midfielder will be able to play some part on Sunday when they meet Portsmouth again in the Community Shield at Wembley.—Reuters