Manchester United are sending Wayne Rooney for a week's conditioning work in the United States, allowing him to escape the glare of publicity in England.
The striker is sidelined by an ankle injury and is unlikely to be back before the home match against Wigan on 20 November.
But rather than use United's state‑of-the-art facilities, the club have opted to use Nike's centre in Oregon, as much in a bid to get Rooney away from the headlines, which have dogged him in recent weeks. Stories about his private life were followed by his admission that he was considering leaving United.
Assistant manager Mike Phelan said: "We thought it might be in the interests of him and the club to have a change of scenery. He has had a lot of attention lately and we want to give him the best opportunity to be in good shape when he returns."
