Wayne Rooney will enlist Liverpool psychiatrist to kick-start World Cup
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Version 0 of 1. Wayne Rooney has said he will see Dr Steve Peters, the Liverpool club psychiatrist recruited by the Football Association, to help him deal with the pressures of the World Cup and repair the tournament form that has led to Paul Scholes, his former Manchester United team-mate, questioning whether the forward should be an automatic pick in Roy Hodgson’s side. Rooney was impressed by Peters’ speech to the England squad during their training camp at Vale do Lobo and has spoken to Steven Gerrard, Liverpool’s captain, about the benefits of working with a man who has also been instrumental in the careers of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton. Rooney admitted his tournament record had been poor since Euro 2004 and was open to the idea, as Scholes had suggested, that he might have suffered more from the pressures of being England’s key player than he had actually realised. “When you’re going into a tournament, you believe you’re going to do well, so you don’t really feel that pressure, but maybe inside you are, and you just don’t realise,” Rooney said. “The manager has brought him [Peters] in for us. It’s not something where you have to do it. He made it clear that he’s not here to be going around the players all the time. If we want to see him, we can, and after hearing his speech, I’ll certainly speak to him and see if it can benefit me. There’s no harm in that. It’s interesting. If it can give me an extra couple of per cent, it’s worth doing. So I’ll speak to him and see how it goes and if it’s worth continuing.” Rooney, confirming that he had fully recovered from his groin injury, accepted the criticisms surrounding his performances in major tournaments – “I know when I have played badly,” he said – and that there would be “no excuses” if it continued in Brazil. He also admitted that this tournament “really is the last big one” for a player of his age. However, Scholes believes the 28-year-old may have peaked two years ago – a statement that questions the wisdom of United awarding him a five-year contract – and suggested that Hodgson may have to consider leaving him out. “I’m not saying Wayne needs to be dropped but if form doesn’t get up to scratch in the warm-ups, or in the first game of the World Cup, it will be interesting to see if the England management team has the balls to make that decision.” Scholes questioned whether Rooney was suffering from burnout and went as far as saying his former colleague “might be a player who’d retire come 31 or 32, given the amount of football he’s played”. He added: “Wayne was in the Everton team at 16 years of age, in 2003. Since then he’s played at Euro 2004, two World Cups, Premier League and Champions League every year at United. There’s a chance he’s worn out. Wayne’s peak may have been a lot younger than we’d expect of footballers traditionally. Age 28 or 29 has been the normal peak. With Wayne, it could have been when he scored 27 league goals in 2011-2012, when he was 26. “He’s got a brilliant scoring record for his country, with 38 goals in 89 internationals, but he’s played in eight World Cup games without a goal. You expect more of him. If Wayne is going to be one of the best footballers in the world, this World Cup is where he has to produce.” Rooney was speaking before Scholes’s comments, in a World Cup blog for a bookmaker, came to light, and said he wanted to take over as United’s captain now Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand had left the club and Ryan Giggs had retired. He is aware that Louis van Gaal, the new United manager, is more likely to give the armband to Robin van Persie, and Rooney said he would not hold a grievance. “I feel I’m ready for it but it’s the manager’s decision. If he chooses someone else, then honestly I’ve no problems with that. I’ll respect the decision.” Scholes believes Rooney might struggle to get into the United side, describing him as “a player who likes to be up front on his own and I don’t think he’s great with partnerships”. He also recommended that Rooney thinks about adapting his game to become a midfielder, and “use his energy more effectively” if he wants to extend his career into his mid-30s. The former England midfielder, who does not expect a role at Old Trafford next season, added: “It will be interesting next season with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United and how he decides to play Wayne. It looks like it might come to a straight choice between Wayne and Robin van Persie.” Rooney said he was aware that Van Gaal would be monitoring his performances in the World Cup. “When a new manager comes in, you always feel you have to prove yourself again. You don’t know what ideas he has got or how he wants to play.” |