The FA has confirmed no further action will be taken against Wayne Rooney following the Man Utd striker's elbow on James McCarthy.

United striker won't be punished after elbow on McCarthy

The Football Association has confirmed no further action will be taken against Wayne Rooney following the Manchester United striker's elbow on James McCarthy at the weekend. Rooney caught the Wigan Athletic midfielder on the side of the head during the early stages of United's 4-0 win at the DW Stadium. Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free-kick at the time and opted against either booking Rooney or showing the England international the red card. Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was unhappy after the game and was insistent that Rooney should have been sent off by Clattenburg. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, meanwhile, suggested there was 'nothing in it' and was bracing himself for a media storm to be created. The FA had been waiting to receive Clattenburg's report on the incident before deciding whether video evidence could be used to charge Rooney with violent conduct. However, it would appear that Clattenburg's explanation of the challenge has left the FA with no scope to act retrospectively within the current rules as Fifa forbids national associations taking further action when the referee had already dealt with the incident. It means that Rooney, who scored United's third goal at Wigan, will be available for the Premier League leaders' trip to reigning champions Chelsea on Tuesday night.