Wayne Rooney most searched-for player on Bing following England row

Wayne Rooney was the most searched-for player on Bing in the past week after the Manchester United and England star was criticised for attending a wedding.

The midfielder has “unreservedly” apologised for “inappropriate” pictures of him at an event at the England hotel a day after his team beat Scotland in a World Cup qualifying match.

Despite a number of Premier League managers defending Rooney, who had been given the day off by England boss Gareth Southgate, the player’s actions have been condemned by the Football Association.

Jose Mourinho, the boss of Man United, said the criticism would have an “effect” on Rooney and that the FA should protect footballers in future.

The row has also sparked the highest number of searches for a footballer on Microsoft’s search engine, Bing, in the past week.

Fellow Man U star Paul Pogba was second, with Liverpool’s Adam Lallana, and Chelsea pair Eden Hazard and Diego Costa rounding off the top five.

On the pitch, Rooney will be focused on helping Man U take all three points against West Ham on Sunday. Bing predicts that the Red Devils, currently in sixth place, have a 78% chance of victory and will remain in the hunt for a European place. West Ham have a 7% chance of winning, while the draw is at 15%.

At the top of the table, Chelsea will take another step closer to the title by beating Tottenham – the division’s only unbeaten team – at Stamford Bridge. The Blues, who took the top spot last weekend after Liverpool could only muster a draw at Southampton, have a 71% chance of taking all three points, Bing predicted. Spurs’ chances of a win are 15%, with a draw at 14%.

The three teams closest to Chelsea will all keep up the pressure on the leaders. Liverpool have an 86% chance of beating relegation-threatened Sunderland, Manchester City are 55% likely to sweep aside Burnley, and Arsenal will get back to winning ways after they were given a 71% chance of victory against Bournemouth.

At the other end of the Premier League, Swansea will climb off the bottom of the table with victory over Crystal Palace. Swans boss Bob Bradley has a 71% chance of recording his first win since being appointed on October 3. Palace have a 15% chance of emerging from the match victorious, with a draw at 14%.

Bing came up with its predictions using a complex algorithm that looks at player performance.

Everton boss Ronald Koeman, who is expected to only take a point on his return to former club Southampton this weekend, was the most searched-for manager on Bing in the past week. Chelsea’s Antonio Conte, Sunderland’s David Moyes, Middlesbrough’s Aitor Karanka and Crystal Palace’s Alan Pardew completed the top five.

Arsenal were the team that most fans wanted to know about, followed by Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton.