Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney's manager at Manchester
United, had remarked long before the season began that once the
centre-forward was allowed to focus on the art of striking, rather
than pelting about the pitch after the ball, the goals would come.
And so they have for club and country.
Ferdinand, who has captained Rooney for both United and England,
thought the signing of Dimitar Berbatov had been the catalyst.
"Wayne is confident and playing well," he said. "And, being honest,
one of the reasons I was happy that Berbatov signed for United was
that I knew it would inspire other players in the team to take
their game up to another level.
"He would not just inspire the forwards but others as well. When
a new player comes in, that's what happens. Everyone wants to
impress him and show him why they are playing for Manchester
United. I think Wayne has taken that on board and gone from
strength to strength.
"I think they can become a great pairing but what I'm getting at
is that Berbatov's arrival will help him become a better player
individually. Wayne scored 15 goals last season, with 15 assists,
and yet he wants to keep on improving.
"Some players go into their shells when a new player arrives.
They can't handle it; they think: 'I can't do this'. They either
end up playing rubbish or you get others, like Wayne, who take on
that battle head first."