'Rooney said sorry for FA Cup dive'

The Manchester United captain won a controversial penalty late on in Monday’s fifth round clash, and Thorsten Stuckmann has claimed the striker apologised to him afterwards


Wayne Rooney apologised for taking a dive to win a penalty for Manchester United in their FA Cup fifth round victory over Preston North End, according to the League One club’s goalkeeper.

Thorsten Stuckmann was adjudged to have fouled the United and England skipper by referee Phil Dowd, but replays showed there was no contact.

And the German keeper claims that Rooney later admitted that he had gone down too easily.

Stuckmann told The Sun: “After the game Rooney told me: ‘Sorry, it was my chance to get a penalty. I had to use that.'”

Preston manager Simon Grayson suggested that although Rooney had not been touched he was taking evasive action rather than trying to con the referee.

But Stuckmann is still adamant that Rooney was the guilty party, and questioned whether Dowd would have made the same decision at the other end of the field.

“I say it clear: ‘That was no penalty,’” he said. “I also believe that, if the situation had happened the other way around, one of our strikers against the United keeper, the ref wouldn’t have given the penalty. I have no doubt about that.”

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