Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has apologised to a nine-year-old football fan after he fired a stray shot into the crowd which broke the youngster's wrist.

Football fanatic Jamie Thomas, from Wem in Shropshire, was watching United for the first time on Sunday when the shot from the striker caught his arm.

Rooney used his Twitter page to say sorry to the schoolboy and promised to send him a personalised gift.

He said in a tweet: "I want to apologise to Jamie Thomas. I have arranged for a letter and a signed shirt to be sent to his home address."

It is not thought he was aware of the incident at the time.

Jamie's father, Andy, said the injury happened when his son tried to block Rooney's shot in the warm-up before United's game with Wolves at Molineux at the weekend.

Mr Thomas said Rooney and fellow striker Javier Hernandez were taking a few shots when Rooney missed one and it came straight towards Jamie.

He put out his hands to stop it hitting him and it broke his wrist.

Mr Thomas told the Shropshire Star: "It shook him up a bit but he's fine about it now and I don't think it's put him off going to other games.

"I don't think Rooney realised what he had done, otherwise I am sure he would have come over."