Unselfish Rooney gives all for United

There is a clip on YouTube of Wayne Rooney playing in goal. He dives around making a string of saves, punches a ball up to the halfway line, then heads off to score a goal at the other end of the field.

Force of nature
Ever since Rooney took his first bold, bullock-like strides on the Premier League stage as a 16-year-old prodigy with Everton FC, it has been evident he is a rare force of nature. The talent is unquestionable, the enthusiasm infectious, but arguably the most compelling feature of his contribution in a Manchester United FC shirt this season has been his willingness to subjugate his attacking instincts to his team's cause.

'Sacrifice'
This was never more evident than in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first-leg win over Arsenal FC where the England attacker helped Patrice Evra neuter the threat of Theo Walcott down United's left flank. He remained in that wide midfield role for the return but got forward in a lightning counterattack to set up the third goal scored by Cristiano Ronaldo. Sir Alex Ferguson admits it is "a sacrifice" on the selfless Rooney's part but said the 23-year-old's physical qualities allowed him to fulfil the role to outstanding effect.

Stamina levels
"Some players are unable to do what Wayne does, he has got the stamina levels and the resilience to keep doing that and to still be a threat when we do attack," said Sir Alex. Many commentators would argue Rooney operates best as a second-striker. Citing the example of FC Barcelona forward Thierry Henry, the United manager argued that Rooney could also do damage attacking from the flanks. "When Henry plays as a striker and sometimes when Wayne does, to create space sometimes they drift from centre out. When strikers attack from out to in it is far more dangerous I think."

'Loves his football'
Indeed amid all the tracking back, Rooney has got forward to score 17 goals for United this season, four in the UEFA Champions League. "He has been fantastic in that position," his manager concluded. Not surprisingly, left-back Evra concurred. The Frenchman, who would doubtless welcome Rooney's help in subduing Lionel Messi in Wednesday night's showpiece, said: "Going forward and coming back, it is great for me knowing Wayne is there. He is amazing; he plays with his heart, he just loves his football."

'Combustible nature'
That Rooney's hunger comes hand in hand with a wired-in aggression is well-documented – a recent reminder came when he punched a corner flag after being sent off at Fulham FC in March. Yet Sir Alex believes the Liverpudlian is "far better now" at controlling his "combustible nature". The Scot added: "He came here with certain attributes, the most important was this fantastic hunger and desire. Of course you have to channel that desire because sometimes it leads to anger at times, and there are good signs of that. He is just such a winner, every training session, every ball, every tackle he goes into is a cup final for him." You can only imagine what a UEFA Champions League final means to him then.