Nike insist the design of their boots had 'nothing to do with' Wayne Rooney's latest foot injury.
The Manchester United and England striker faces two months on the sidelines
after suffering a hairline fracture of his left foot during the clash with
Reading on Sunday, the third time since 2004 he has suffered injuries to his
feet.
The first forced him off in the Euro 2004 quarter-final against Portugal and
delayed his debut with Manchester United after his move from Everton.
The second happened just before the 2006 World Cup, giving the player a race
against time to be fit for the finals in Germany.
Some have speculated that modern boot design puts players at greater risk of
foot injuries, but Charlie Brooks, head of corporate communications for Nike UK,
has told Channel 4 News that the boot that Wayne had been testing was not to
blame.
He said: 'He himself is personally absolutely confident, as we are, that the
boot had nothing to do with his injury.
'Nearly 20% of the professional players in the Barclays Premier league this
weekend were wearing this boot.
'I think it is a boot that stands up to all kinds of testing...and stands up
to on-pitch demand.
'I think what happened to Wayne is an unfortunate football injury.
'When we were developing this boot we worked extensively with Wayne.
'He was part of the development testing process...he went over to our
headquarters in the United States and he tested the boot extensively over
there.'
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the injury would keep the 21-year-old
out for two months, making him a major doubt for England's Euro 2008 qualifiers
against Israel and Russia.
