WAYNE ROONEY, MICHAEL OWEN, Ashley Cole: England won’t need a team bus at the World Cup finals in Germany, they will need a team ambulance. Metatarsal injures have become more frequent at the same time as the design of boots has evolved and I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

I firmly believe that modern footwear has led to an increase in injuries such as the one Rooney suffered on Saturday. The manufacturers say there is no connection but boots now fit like gloves, moulded to feet. They’re more comfortable and give far better touch, but do they offer less protection? So light and soft, they are like running shoes. Great for control, possibly not so good if someone treads on your foot.

Players love the new-style boots, though. They’ll take a potential risk every time if it means they might gain an edge. In my day, players would wear other players’ spare pairs now and again, but the modern footballer wouldn’t dream of it, so individual have boots become.

Another factor is the improvement in playing surfaces. It sounds strange. Shouldn’t a bad pitch lead to more injuries than a carpet such as the Stamford Bridge turf? However, there’s more “give” in a muddy surface, studs sink in and that has a cushioning effect on impact. On a decent pitch studs stick and your leg can jerk violently. That’s why, along with metatarsals, there are more cruciate injuries than in the past.

As for Rooney, he’ll be hoping, praying, it’s not as bad as everyone fears. He’ll cling to the belief that he might make it back in four weeks. When you’re injured, your mood swings from day to day. Sometimes you feel rough, others good, but you’ve just got to take medical advice and recuperate at the pace the experts advise.

If Rooney was 32, maybe it would be worth rushing him back, but not at 20. Even in such an unstable and unpredictable business as football, at Rooney’s tender age he shouldn’t jeopardise his future for short-term gain. Which is why Sir Alex Ferguson just became one of the keys to England’s World Cup hopes. What a shame he’s Scottish.

The Manchester United manager won’t want Rooney in Germany if he is struggling, or if there’s the faintest chance of him having a relapse. Especially if United finish third and have to enter the Champions League qualifiers in July. So we could be set for a massive club- versus-country argument — United’s medical staff against England’s, perhaps.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Ferguson put his foot down and privately told Rooney not to go. And what might that do to their relationship? I suffered a calf injury a week before the 1994 World Cup finals and was out for three weeks. I returned just in time to play 15 minutes of Ireland’s last game, when we were knocked out by Holland. I look back with regret. At the time I was so desperate I went to see a faith healer. I wanted to believe that it was all in my head, that I could cure it with positive thinking.

Some pundits were suggesting yesterday that United were knocked out of the Champions League even with Rooney, so he can’t make that much of a difference. What rubbish. You have to ask where a less-than-great United team would have finished this season without his influence. It was obvious from Euro 2004 how central he is to England’s success. The fans know it and the players know it.

When Rooney was down on Saturday, I saw John Terry and Frank Lampard talking to each other, muttering something like: “We’ve lost him”. His international team-mates know it’s a huge blow.

Playing without match practice didn’t work too well for David Beckham in 2002, but Rooney is so exceptional that if there’s any chance he’ll be available for the knockout stages, he has to go. You have to assume that England can make it through their group without him, but against the tougher nations, even 20 minutes from the 20-year-old could make the difference.