Rooney: No place to hide at Old Trafford

There has certainly been plenty of speculation about Wayne Rooney’s future at Old Trafford over recent weeks, yet the England international claims that he knows full well what is expected of him and know he has to work hard all of the time to keep his place.

Rooney, who looks set to miss the next six weeks as he sits on the treatment table, has been at the centre of several rumours about his future. Some sources claimed that United were thinking about cashing in on the striker, with Sir Alex Ferguson apparently becoming sick and tired of the player’s injury and form issues. However, following on from those reports, both the club and Rooney have stated that there is no truth in them and the former Everton striker will be staying at Old Trafford for some time to come.

Following on from that speculation, several quotes from Rooney have appeared in the media from his latest autobiography. He told the Mirror, “As a striker I need to work hard all the time. I need to be sharp, which means my fitness has to be right to play well. If it isn’t, it shows. As a centre-forward for Manchester United, there’s no place to hide. I’ve got to work as hard as I can, otherwise the manager will haul me off the pitch or drop me for the next game. I’m happy at Manchester United, despite the downs that sometimes take place at a football club.”

However, whether or not Rooney manages to regain his place in the team on his comeback is another matter. In his absence, Robin Van Persie has continued to show the form that made Sir Alex Ferguson splash out £24m on him, with the former Arsenal striker already scoring four goals. It will therefore be interesting to see if Ferguson attempts to pair the duo in the forthcoming months.