Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has defended Simon Francis following his elbow on Wayne Rooney.
Rooney suffered a nasty cut above his eye following a gruesome elbow by Francis and despite the forceful nature of the challenge; Cherries' manager Eddie Howe has defended his captain by stating that the elbow was not intentional.
Howe said when asked about the intention of the elbow: "No, it wasn't. Simon had his eyes on the ball and, when you jump like that, there is always leverage needed.
"His arms were obviously high and he caught Wayne but there was absolutely no intent to injure the player. I can say that for certain with Simon."
Source: tribalfootball.com