Wayne Rooney suffered a suspected foot injury as Manchester United launched the defence of their Premiership title with a frustrating 0-0 draw against Reading at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Rooney, who broke his left foot during Euro 2004 and then his right foot towards the end of the 2005-06 season, was forced out of the action at half-time with an injured left foot sustained while attempting to score from six yards.
United now face an anxious wait to discover the extent of the problem as they prepare to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park in a difficult away game on Wednesday.
Although United had splashed out more than 50 million pounds on new signings since lifting the title last season, Ferguson's starting 11 did not contain a single new face and, of the new boys, only Portuguese winger Nani had made it onto the bench.
Owen Hargreaves, Carlos Tevez and Anderson all spent the game in the Old Trafford Director's Box with Ferguson opting against risking their fitness following interrupted pre-season training programmes.
Even without the expensive new recruits, United still displayed all of the attacking threat that they showed last term on their way to the club's ninth Premiership crown and it was a surprise that they failed to overcome Reading's stiff resistance before half-time.
Rooney could have claimed a hat-trick, while Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick also went close as the home side dominated against Steve Coppell's well-organised team.
England midfielder Carrick sent a right-foot volley over the crossbar on 11 minutes and Giggs, captain in place of the injured Gary Neville, sent a Carrick cross crashing against Marcus Hahnemann's near post with a powerful left-foot volley moments later.
Rooney looked United's liveliest forward, however, and he was unlucky to send a header wide from Cristiano Ronaldo's clipped cross on 28 minutes.
The England forward then had decent appeals for a penalty turned down five minutes later when referee Rob Styles ignored his pleas after a shove in the back from Ivar Ingimarsson.
When Rooney volleyed another Carrick cross over the bar from six yards on 37 minutes, he immediately set alarm bells ringing by limping heavily and clutching his left foot.
And although the 21-year-old played out the final eight minutes of the first-half with the injury, he failed to reappear after the break, fuelling fears of another metatarsal injury Without Rooney, United continued to pour forward and heap the pressure onto Reading's overworked defenders, but American goalkeeper Hahnemann was in incredible form as he repelled the home side again and again.
Hahnemann gave United warning of his ability five minutes into the second-half when he dived low to his left to smother a powerful low strike from Ronaldo and he continued to frustrate Ferguson's men.
But United were also masters of the their own downfall when Patrice Evra, with the goal at his mercy from six yards on 55 minutes, sliced his shot wide of the goal. Ferguson's decision to keep Tevez out of the squad for the game was beginning to look more and more bizarre as his team squandered further chances.
United were given a glimmer of hope when Reading were reduced to 10 men after substitute Dave Kitson was sent off for a terrible challenge on Evra less than a minute after replacing Kevin Doyle. Hahnemann would not be beaten, though, and he capped off a stunning performance with a crucial double save from Ronaldo and Paul Scholes in the 90th minute.
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