Rio Ferdinand has insisted that England can still win the World Cup this summer, even if Wayne Rooney fails to make the plane for Germany.

Manchester United striker Rooney, 20, will have a scan on his injured right foot on June 7, just two days before the final deadline for announcing squads, to assess whether he is fit enough to take part in England’s World Cup bid.

Rooney’s fitness, or lack of it, has been a daily topic of debate in England ever since he broke the fourth metatarsal in his right foot during United’s Premiership defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on April 29.

With England head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson bringing forward Rooney’s scan from June 14, the youngster’s prospects of playing at the World Cup appear to be diminishing.

But United and England team-mate Ferdinand believes that Eriksson’s squad has enough star quality to compensate for Rooney’s absence and maintain England’s hopes of becoming world champions for the first time in 40 years.

Ferdinand said: “Wayne is a massive player for us and his battle to be fit for the World Cup is a massive story because he is such a fantastic player.

“But can we win the World Cup without him? Why not? When you look around the England squad, we have a team of match-winners, players who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and win it for you.

“Wayne is obviously one of those players, but if we have to be without him, then there are still great players who can make the difference for us.

“I was at the FA Cup final recently and Steven Gerrard’s performance for Liverpool that day made you very glad that he will be on our side in Germany.

“Then you have Frank Lampard, who has scored 20 goals from midfield for Chelsea this season, and then there is David Beckham. And what about Michael Owen, Peter Crouch and Joe Cole?”

Rooney’s next scan is likely to be make-or-break for his World Cup hopes and Ferdinand admits that England’s hopes would be boosted by his presence in Germany.

He said: “Wayne will be a great asset for us if he makes the World Cup, but we have to wait on the medical results.

“If he doesn’t come to Germany, we are still more than capable of doing well for the country and the players have plenty of confidence in the rest of the players in the squad.”

Source:Soccer News