ROONEY RELISHING REDS' PURPLE PATCH

Wayne Rooney picked up the Barclays Player of the Month award for March and then set United on their way to a 2-0 victory over Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, scoring the first and setting up Ji-sung Park for the second.

As Rooney told United Review, he’s enjoying being involved in some of the best football the Reds have played since he arrived at Old Trafford from Everton for £27million in summer 2004.

Is this the team’s best run of form since you joined United?

Yeah, we’ve been in great form and we’ve beaten some good sides. Personally I’ve been happy with how it’s going so I just want to keep adding to the team and help us win games.

The current run is a tribute to the midfield who have been doing a great job under difficult circumstances…

Definitely, Giggsy and Sheasy have gone into the centre of midfield in the last few games and have done really well for us, they’ve been solid and have been giving good service to the strikers. Fletch came back in again against Bolton and did a good job for us. We’ve got a few players coming back from injury now and the squad is getting bigger every week.

It’s a great position for the team to be in with all three strikers scoring regularly…

It is, and we all know now we’ve got to play well to make sure we get in the team next time and it keeps us all on our toes. Hopefully that’ll continue to keep the competition for places.
"I've got a cabinet in my house where I keep my awards… hopefully it'll be full before long!"
The way everyone celebrates no matter who’s scored the goals illustrates the team spirit at the club…

Definitely. The spirit is high, and we need to keep believing in ourselves. If we do that then we’ll be there in the end, I think.

What different qualities do Louis and Ruud bring when you’re playing alongside them?

Louis is a big strong lad, he makes a lot more runs in behind and he’s scoring loads of goals. And Ruud... well Ruud’s just a poacher! He holds the ball up well and gets so many goals through the season and you can’t argue with that.

United played Bolton recently, and Chelsea still have to travel to the Reebok. How tough a place is it to visit?

It’s a difficult place to go, especially with the pitch which isn’t the best around as we saw. Their fans get right behind them as well which also makes it difficult but we did well under the circumstances and deserved the three points.

Have you been studying the run-in all the way or is it only recently you started to look at Chelsea’s last matches now it’s a bit tighter?

Not really, again we want to concentrate 100% on our own games and concentrate on what we do. Nothing’s changed there but we know that if we can keep winning, we can push Chelsea and try to get as close to them as possible.

This season you picked up your first piece of silverware at United, how did that feel?

It was brilliant, it’s the best feeling I’ve had in my football career, especially to score two goals in the final. Even though the scoreline was convincing it was a hard game at times so it was brilliant to lift the trophy at the end of it.

Where do you keep your medals and awards?

I’ve got a cabinet in my house where I keep my awards… hopefully it’ll be full before long!

ROONEY RECIEVES DOUBLE NOMINATION

Wayne Rooney has been nominated for both the PFA Footballer of the Year award and the Young Player of the Year award. The Professional Footballer Association's 33rd annual awards dinner, to be held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, will take place on Sunday April 23, with the six nominees in each of the two categories confirmed.
Last year's winner, John Terry, and Chelsea team-mates Frank Lampard and Joe Cole, Liverpool's Steven Gerrard and Arsenal's Thierry Henry also make the shortlist for the main accolade.
Rooney is a contender for the young player accolade along with his Reds' team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, Darren Bent (Charlton), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), Anton Ferdinand (West Ham) and Aaron Lennon (Tottenham).

CHARLTON TIPS ROONEY TO BE A TRUE GREAT

While arguing that he expects Ronaldinho to be the star of this summer's World Cup, Sir Bobby Charlton believes Wayne Rooney will become a better player at the peak of his career than the Brazilian is now.

"Every World Cup produces a great star," Charlton said at the launch of nominations for the Laureus World Sports Awards in Barcelona. "In my time I have seen Pele, Cruyff, Maradona and Ronaldo and this summer it could be Ronaldinho, though I have a sneaking feeling that Wayne Rooney will give him a real battle for it.
"It obviously depends on how well England do in the tournament but Wayne is a player who thrives on pressure. The bigger the game, the better Wayne plays. Wayne and Ronaldinho both have amazing skill and control but the Brazilian has a bit more experience at the moment. But don't forget that Wayne is 20 while Ronaldinho is 26. I would be prepared to bet that Wayne Rooney at 26 will be an even more effective player than Ronaldinho."

Eriksson looks into Rooney claims

The claims about the 20-year-old were made by The Sunday Mirror.
But the Football Association stressed it was "unaware of any problems in the England team dressing room."
And the FA's Adrian Bevington added: "We believe Sven-Goran Eriksson will speak to the players allegedly involved to clarify the facts."
According to the newspaper, Rooney, who earns an estimated £50,000 a week on the pitch and millions more a year from sponsorship deals, is one of a number of England players said to be involved in betting on sports other than their own.

Rooney's spokesman refused to be drawn on the allegations, telling the Sunday Mirror: "We have no comment to make."
England are due to begin their World Cup campaign in Germany in less than two months' time.
FA director of communications Bevington said: "Under Sven the England team have enjoyed a fantastic spirit within the camp, a fact that is regularly made by the players publicly.
"This spirit has ensured qualification to three consecutive tournaments.
"It's important the fans know everyone connected to the FA and the England team is determined to do all they can to achieve success in Germany this summer."
But Bevington added: "We should also state there is little the FA can do to prevent any individuals gambling privately on horse or greyhound racing though there are rules preventing betting on any football matches or competitions they are involved in."