Wayne Rooney Injury: Manchester United Star Ruled Out vs. Sunderland

Manchester United star Wayne Rooney was sidelined for the club's match against Sunderland on Monday due to an undisclosed injury. 

After Manchester United's 3-1 victory, manager Jose Mourinho told reporters he "hopes" Rooney will be available on Saturday against Middlesbrough but "has doubts" he will be fit due to what was called a muscle injury.

There is plenty of cover available for the United skipper. Indeed, he has not been a regular starter under Mourinho in 2016-17 anyway, per WhoScored.com.

The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford have often been picked ahead of him and will likely continue to start in Rooney's absence.

However, the former Everton man is still valuable to United, and his leadership and immense experience will be missed while he is out.

Particularly in bigger games, Rooney can still be a huge asset whether he starts or makes an impact from the bench.

As United's second-most prolific goalscorer of all time, he has contributed at key moments in almost every possible situation during his Old Trafford career.