Wayne Rooney's Headband Sent to Manchester United After US Firm Storelli's Email

Wayne Rooney was something of a surprise name on the teamsheet at the weekend for Manchester United's game against Crystal Palace—but it turns out that a quick-thinking American company made it all possible.

Rooney had split his head open in a freak accident in training. On September 4 he showed exactly the scale of the damage in a photograph on Facebook:

At the time it was unclear when he would return, as United boss David Moyes indicated on the eve of the Palace fixture:

"

He is in great physical shape. Obviously he has a cut right in the middle of his forehead which could split because the skin is very thin. But he has had his stitches out and it has knitted. We just have to see where the level of risk is with his injury.

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However, American sports manufacturer Storelli, who manufacture protective gear, stepped in and came up with a solution. According to the Daily Mail:

"

On hearing of Rooney’s injury, they emailed Manchester United’s medical team to offer their services and United, suitably intrigued, requested some samples. They arrived last Thursday night and, after training with it for only a day, Rooney was happy enough to start the game.

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The band itself only costs $60 (about £38), but by absorbing and spreading the impact from a collision around the entirety of the band, it ensured that Rooney's wound would not reopen if he was caught in an unfortunate challenge.

The £38 is certainly worth spending if it gets a reported £250,000-a-week footballer back on the pitch.

And to cap it all, Rooney scored his first goal of the season while wearing it, with this deft free kick.