Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has suggested that England captain Wayne Rooney will not be available for the Three Lions' high-profile friendlies in March, with the striker currently recovering from a serious knee injury.
It is a cruel world for footballers who try to manage their careers between club and country. Finding the right balance between the two has been elusive to footballers for years. Only a handful of them have have been successful at it. THT takes a look at the perfect predicament of world football.