People who don’t follow club football probably have no idea why Wayne Rooney’s inclusion in the England World Cup squad is a matter of consternation for Manchester United supporters. According to England’s team doctor, Rooney is recovered from his broken foot—suffered a mere 5 weeks ago—and should be medically sound to take part in Sven Goran Erickson World Cup side. Manchester United, the football club who pays Rooney’s wages and invested £27 million pounds to sign him disagree with England’s optimistic assessment of the striker’s health and want the player to sit out the World Cup in order to avoid further exacerbating his injury.

It’s a typical club versus country row and as a die-hard Manchester United fan who harbours a rooting interest for England, it’s a conflict that cuts both ways:

• Leave Rooney out and the idea of Peter Crouch featuring in the deep-playing forward role for the entire tournament is profoundly distressing.

• Allow Rooney to play and risk permanent damage to United’s most dynamic striking threat (now that Ruud van Nistleroy has likely played his last game in a United shirt).

What the non-fan probably doesn’t understand though is that most football fans would probably have the same priority in a club versus country row as me: remove Rooney from the squad in the interest my of favourite club. Why? Because as phenomenal as the World Cup is, given the choice, most fans would much rather opt for a championship for their club team than their for country. It sounds stunning, but think about it: club football is the bread and butter of the game. FIFA does a great job organizing and promoting the grandness of the World Cup, but the 40 weeks of living and dieing on every domestic matchday is simply too great an investment for a fan to pick country before club—unless, of course, you happen to be a Chelsea fan, in which case your club can simply buy another international superstar to replace any injured player.

Oh well, while I’m disappointed that Rooney is going to be risked in the World Cup, at least it will help provide some flair to the otherwise uninspiring 4-4-2 formation that Erickson seems compelled to use… relying on Peter Crouch as a playmaking forward in the World Cup, oi.