ROONEY: I WON'T CHANGE

YES the trappings are all there . . . a multi-million pound wedding, the Cheshire mansion, a different supercar for virtually every day of the week.

But for all the wealth and adulation lavished upon him, when was the last time Wayne Rooney had anything like the kind of game for either club or country that could justify his superstar status?

When did he last dominate a match the way he did for England four years ago in Portugal?

Death

Where has the player gone who terrorised defences when Everton and David Moyes gave him his head as Goodison’s beloved man-child?

At just 22 years of age, it seems fatuous to talk of Rooney’s career being at a crossroads.

But even the greatest advocates of his precocious talent are asking the questions Rooney seems at present unable to answer.

And England manager Fabio Capello is utterly perplexed by the vagaries of the Manchester United star striker’s performances in the white of the Three Lions.

Sure his Old Trafford boss Sir Alex Ferguson would defend his man to the death.

But even he recognises the need for Rooney to find some stability, continuity and progress in a career that threatens to wallow in the doldrums — unless he takes advice on board.

The problem remains, however, will Rooney even listen.

Ferguson talks of a necessity for Rooney to develop a selfish streak, to stop chasing lost causes in positions he shouldn’t be occupying, to take a new kind of responsibility.

FERGUSON - listen

Ferguson insisted: “The heart he shows, the quality of his game is there and he knows his position on the pitch.

“What we are seeing is someone who is expending too much energy . . . just using too much energy in the wrong way.

“If Wayne is prepared to listen to us about it, we’ll stop it.

“Although we accept that he has that selfless nature about him we still want him to be regarded as a goalscorer. Obviously he is a team player. He is that type of person and that helps him be the sound person he is. And he does work so much for the team and we need players like that

“The fact that he runs all round the park, it’s just a mental thing.

“What he needs to do in terms of his own personal contribution is to be involved in more goals.

“And to achieve that he needs to concentrate more on being in or on the edge of the box. It’s a simple thing.”

Simple, maybe. But only if the man himself wants to listen.

Aggression

And judging by Rooney’s response, there’s no guarantee of that.

The defiant United striker nonchalantly shrugged off Ferguson’s advice like he used to throw off a desperate defender’s tackle.

And he seems happy to continue pointlessly hurtling around the pitch like a terrier chasing a punctured football around a park.

As he admitted: “I don’t think I’ll ever lose that aggression. It’s something I’ve always had.

“If we are not winning the game and it’s not happening I get frustrated, I like to win.

“I don’t like losing so if you’re telling me that’s wrong then I won’t believe it.

“I’m a team player, I am not concerned about being selfish.

“Everyone is talking about me scoring more goals but we won the League and Champions League last season so if that happens again I’d be delighted.”

That, though, was with Cristiano Ronaldo in the kind of ridiculously blessed form that no player can guarantee season after season.

Change

And through all the bravado, there is a fear within Rooney that even his broad shoulders may not be enough to carry United in Ronaldo’s absence.

He scored 18 goals in all games last season but was left in the shadows by Ronaldo’s stunning 42-goal salvo, a fact certainly not lost on him.

Rooney conceded: “I will feel the burden because with the forwards we have like Carlos Tevez, who likes to drop in and that’s his best position, it would mean I would have to stay further forward.

“There has been a lot of talk about us bringing in another forward and hopefully we can do that to strengthen the team and that would help us spread things out.

“Maybe we could change things for certain games but if a forward doesn’t come in then I am sure we can deal with that.

“I don’t know if I will have to score more. We’ll have to wait and see.

“Obviously over the last two years we have spread the goals out amongst the team and as long as we continue to do that, then I would see no problem.”

Perhaps. But as both Capello and Ferguson will testify, just because Rooney does not perceive a problem it does not mean there is not one brewing.