Rooney set for United return after badly gashed thigh

Updated 25 September 2012
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Rooney set for United return after badly gashed thigh

LONDON: England striker Wayne Rooney, who has not played for a month after suffering a severely gashed thigh against Fulham, is likely to return for Manchester United this week.
Rooney’s leg was badly cut in an accidental clash with Fulham forward Hugo Rodallega at Old Trafford on Aug. 25 but he could play against Newcastle United in the League Cup on Wednesday or against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday.
“He is not far away,” manager Alex Ferguson told reporters. “He’s doing a lot of great training and has been working hard.” Darren Fletcher, who was out for almost 10 months with a chronic bowel complaint, made his comeback as a substitute in last week’s Champions League game against Galatasaray and will again feature in the League Cup third round tie.
“He will certainly play against Newcastle,” said Ferguson. “That is a perfect game for him.
“Then we have the game against Tottenham and he possibly could be involved in that depending on how he does on Wednesday.” Scotland skipper Fletcher must live with his incurable bowel condition but Ferguson said he was managing the situation well.
“He’s handling the conditions at the moment and he looks fine as we saw the other night,” said the United manager.
“It’s a matter of hoping the condition stays dormant. He’s handling his diet well and doing all the right things so hopefully he gets that break he needs.”

 


Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Updated 16 February 2026
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Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added ‌another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after ​a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in ‌which Carlsen, ‌35, pulled off a stunning ​win ‌from ⁠a ​seemingly lost ⁠position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a ⁠comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world ‌titles in various formats.

 

The ‌World Championship marked a breakthrough ​collaboration between FIDE and ‌private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first ‌officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In ‌the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing ⁠his spot ⁠by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s ​Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over ​Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.