Rooney - No hiding place

United striker lifts the lid on his life at Old Trafford

Wayne Rooney is aware that he cannot afford to allow his standards to drop if he is to remain on the right side of demanding Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

The England international has already found himself dropped from United's starting XI this season, with a forgettable afternoon againstFulham seeing him benched before picking up a nasty leg injury.

Ferguson conceded after that game that fitness concerns had led to Rooney's omission, with the powerful forward in need of some fine tuning.

Rooney concedes that he has to work harder than most in order to keep his weight down, but insists he has no qualms about being given the odd reminder by a manager who expects the very best from all of those at his disposal.

"As a striker I need to work hard all the time. I need to be sharp, which means my fitness has to be right to play well. If it isn't, it shows," he told the Daily Mirror, who are serialising his latest autobiography.

"It would probably be different if I were a full-back. I could hide a bit, make fewer runs into the opposition half and get away with it.

"As a centre-forward for Manchester United, there's no place to hide. I've got to work as hard as I can, otherwise the manager will haul me off the pitch or drop me for the next game.

"There's no room for failure or second best at this club."