Rooney needs time to recover from hurt

Wayne Rooney admits he will need time to play his way back into form as the Manchester United striker deals with the aftermath of lurid allegations about his private life.

Rooney has endured a dismal time this season as poor performances and newspaper allegations that he paid prostitutes for sex while his wife was pregnant have combined to leave him at a low ebb.

The England international has looked haunted by his problems as he reportedly struggles to save his marriage and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson responded by leaving him out of his team’s recent matches against Everton and Valencia.

He is also likely to miss Saturday’s trip to Sunderland with an ankle injury.

Rooney, who could be named in the England squad on Monday for the Euro 2012 qualifier with Montenegro on October 12, concedes he has been hurt by recent events, but is confident he will bounce back.

“I’m only a human being,” he said. “I hurt as well, but I need to get through this and get back to playing football the way I can do.

“I know I can play better, so I’m hoping to get a consistent run of games in the team. If I do that, I’m sure my form will be back to its best.

“When you’re not playing at your best, you need to just continue playing and doing the simple things, then your form will come good.”

Rooney has spent the majority of his career to date as a first-choice with club and country, so it is hardly surprising that he has found it hard to deal with losing his place during his current slump.

But he expects the fighting spirit that has always been such a key part of his game to see him through his rough patch.

“You always want to play well and give the manager no excuses to leave you out, but there are top players here, so you have to be at your best to keep your place,” he said.

“If you’re not, the manager has the players to leave you out. All footballers get left out at some stage, but I want to play every game.

“My performances could be better. I obviously missed pre-season and I’ve only played four or five games this season but the more games that you play, the better your form will become, so I’m hoping to get a run of games.”

The former Everton man also highlighted a change of position this season as a factor in his recent struggles.

“Last season, I played up front every game, whether it was alone or with Berba (Dimitar Berbatov). I was the out-and-out striker and that was the big difference.

“That’s my favourite position and, scoring wise, it’s obviously a lot better because you get more chances to score rather than if you are playing in the hole and creating for others.”