Wayne Rooney is readying himself for a pivotal season in
his career, as he admits that he is desperate to realise his full
potential.
The England striker is expected to shoulder more of the Reds'
goalscoring burden following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure and,
with the 2010 World Cup looming large, he is hell-bent on making it
a season to remember.
“For me personally, next season could be the season that
transforms me from someone who could be a great player into someone
who is a great player,” Rooney told The Times.
“That’s what I’m hoping. It’s a massive season for the club and
for me personally, with the prize at the end of it being the World
Cup. It’s a season which I want to grab with both hands."
Since bursting onto the scene as a gifted but volatile
16-year-old with Everton, Rooney's improvement as a player has been
obvious. Now a highly-decorated 23-year-old, Rooney still simmers
close to the boil in order to retain his on-field edge, and he has
pledged to continue to give everything for the United cause this
term.
"The older you get, the more you try to set a good example
rather than a bad example," he said. "On the pitch I’m a competitor
and when you’re playing in the biggest league in the world,
especially when I was starting at such a young age, there are a lot
of emotions.
“I’ve worked on that. Sometimes I get a booking or do something
and it’s all over the papers or on the news or whatever. I see
other players doing ten times worse and nothing is mentioned. But I
understand it.
“That’s the way I’ve been brought up. I’ve been brought up to
try to do the best I can in everything I do. I don’t think I’ve
ever come off the pitch and thought that I hadn’t done the best I
could have done. Sometimes it goes to plan and sometimes it
doesn’t, but I’ve never come off the pitch thinking I didn’t give
my best and I don’t think I ever will.”