7 Sep 2010

Rooney will start Euro qualifier against Swiss

8:04 am on 7 September 2010

England's football manager Fabio Capello says Wayne Rooney will start against Switzerland in their crucial Euro 2012 qualifier tonight against Switzerland.

Rooney was with the team when they headed for Basel as lurid reports of his liaisons with a prostitute were splashed across British tabloids.

Although one report indicated Rooney was "devastated" by the impact the allegations had had on his family, Capello quashed speculation that Manchester United striker might withdraw from the squad.

Several commentators seized on the affair as an explanation for Rooney's poor performances at the World Cup.