NO BREAK FOR ROONEY

Rooney has snubbed the chance of a New Year's break to rediscover his touch. Alex Ferguson was ready to give the England striker a 10-day rest, after a handful of tired-looking performances.

But Roo turned down the offer and was back at the Red Devils' Carrington training ground yesterday for extra training.

Rooney, 21, was the only man who played the full game at Newcastle on New Year's Day to put in any outdoor work.

Then, while the rest of the first-team squad took on the reserves, he did an hour's shooting practice in a bid to find the answer to his recent barren spell.

A United source revealed:

“No one expected to see him. We all thought he had been given time off but he was really hitting the ball hard.

“David Beckham used to fire free-kicks on his own, so I suppose it's a similar scenario for Wayne. At least it shows how eager he is that he is willing to put the effort in.

“It's the first time I've seen him do it but it's been a frustrating time for him in front of goal this season.”

Rooney is likely to be rested for Sunday's FA Cup third-round home clash with Aston Villa, as Swede Henrik Larsson will make his debut.