Talisman Rooney Unfit To Face Hammers

Having watched their players drop like flies of late, West Ham fans will breathe a small sigh of relief in the knowledge that Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will not be fit enough to play in this Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash at Old Trafford. Think of him what you will, but Rooney has an unfortunate knack of playing well and scoring against West Ham, Marcos Rojo and Ander Herrera are also injured ahead of the game. Coupled with their other defensive injuries, Manchester United are running in to similar problems as West Ham, of course the Northern outfit have a much bigger squad, but even such a big squad cannot compensate fully.
Essentially, while the long term loss of Dimitri Payet and Diafra Sakho, and the shorter term loss of Enner Valencia has severely curbed Hammers electric start to the season, it is an increasingly common fact that the sheer physical nature and fast tempo of the EPL that attracts massive global audiences, is also the key factor in explaining why so many players sustain severe injuries. - Ed