Rooney defends England pull-out

Wayne Rooney has defended his decision to withdraw from the upcoming World Cup qualifiers by posting a picture online of his head injury, along with a message to those questioning his commitment to the national cause.

The 27-year-old missed Manchester United's 1-0 defeat at Liverpool on Sunday after manager David Moyes confirmed he had suffered a severe gash to his head in an accidental collision with team-mate Phil Jones in training.

Moyes also stated his belief that Rooney would not be recovered in time to join up with his England colleagues ahead of the crucial games against Moldova and Ukraine.

Rooney posted a picture of his injury on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, alongside the message: "Some people seem to be questioning my commitment to the England squad and the fact I had to pull out of the 2 games.

"There's nothing I would like more than to be helping the lads in the qualifiers. I'm sure people will see from these images the reason why I won't be able to play."

England team-mate Theo Walcott had on Tuesday described the wound as "like something out of a horror film".

The Three Lions go into the clashes with Moldova and Ukraine two points behind group leaders Montenegro but with a game in hand.

The injury means Rooney, the subject of unsuccessful bids from Chelsea over the summer, will be missing for up to a month, with the onus on goals in the qualifiers falling on the likes of team-mate Danny Welbeck and Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge.

Rooney has scored 36 goals in 84 England appearances.