Moyes feels Rooney's red was harsh

The 17-year-old has burst onto the domestic scene this term, with his precocious performances for The Toffees sparking calls for an inclusion in the England squad.

Moyes has attempted to keep the youngster out of the media glare, but he could well command back page headlines for the wrong reasons on Friday.

Rooney was given his marching orders by referee David Elleray for a two-footed lunge on Steve Vickers, that resulted in the defender having eight stitches inserted into his ankle.

Vickers was forced off, with Birmingham boss Steve Bruce saying his defender has a nasty gash on his ankle as a result of a 'raw' challenge.

Moyes felt the dismissal was harsh, saying: "It is a difficult one to shout on at the time, but being Everton manager I am going to come out and say I thought at most it should have been a yellow card and I believe that.

"It was a strong challenge between two players fully committed. Steve Vickers got to the ball just before Wayne and Wayne obviously caught Steve`s ankle.

"We don't want any player to get injured, but it happened and I didn't see it as a sending off."

Moyes feels Rooney could be the victim of his own stardom, as he said: "That could have been the case and we have been on the wrong end of decisions in recent weeks."

The Toffees may decide against an appeal, with Moyes adding: "We have not had much joy with these things lately and I don`t expect any with this."

Bruce commented: "I didn't see it clearly from where I was and I would like to see a replay of it. But I know Steve has a badly cut ankle as a result of a tackle that to me looked a little raw."