Rooney Wants to Revert to Forward Role

Wayne Rooney has already stated his desire to capitalise on Cristiano Ronaldo’s proposed exit from Old Trafford, by expressing his displeasure at being forced to play on the wing.

Ronaldo’s deployment as a striker has seen Rooney pushed wide by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but the Portuguese star’s imminent £80m move to Real Madrid means the Englishman is likely to revert to his preferred role.

Rooney has been used as an out-and-out striker for England by Fabio Capello, and his return of eight goals in World Cup qualifying to date has quantified his comfort in the position.

Now, Rooney has stated his case for being used in the same capacity once more for United.

"The position I play for England is the one I most like to play in," said Rooney. "I've not played that for a while at United.

"It's the manager's choice but I have always said that my best position is up front. When you're playing out on the left you have responsibilities in terms of defending.

"That does take some of your energy away when you're attacking. With England you don't have to get back so much. It's a team game and I love playing for the team, but maybe I have to try to be more selfish in where I want to play and what role I want to play."

source : setanta.com