ROONEY UP IN COURT

Wayne Rooney may be the star witness in a libel trial involving a Merseyside grandmother suing a newspaper over claims she was a prostitute.

The Sun newspaper is being sued by Patricia Tierney, 50, after it claimed she had sex with the Manchester United and England star at a massage parlour in Liverpool.

Mrs Tierney a married mother-of-seven and grandmother of 16 says the allegations, published in August 2004, were false and have destroyed her life.

It is understood Rooney, 21, has been put on notice by the court that he may be called as a witness.

It would mean the footballer reliving his shame in public, after confessing he visited brothels when he was “young and stupid”.

However, if the lawyers for both parties agree an out-of-court settlement, Rooney would be spared giving evidence in the witness box.