Pressure is on Rooney ahead of World Cup,says Michael Owen

Michael Owen claims England’s young stars won’t take any of the pressure off Wayne Rooney’s shoulders, writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People.

But the former Three Lions striker says his old pal thrives on the responsibility of being the main man – and that Rooney wouldn’t have it any other way.

Roy Hodgson’s inclusion of the likes of Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling has taken much of the focus.

For the first time in years it means Rooney’s fitness or mental state hasn’t been the most scrutinized subject heading into a major tournament.

But Owen said: “If you’re starting for England and you are the center-forward you don’t take any pressure off, according to the Mirror.

 “We all see it as pressure from the outside but Wayne Rooney won’t see it that way.

 “He lives with it, he breathes it every day as the Manchester United and England center-forward, that’s his way of life.

 “Pressure doesn’t come into it, just a firm belief he is going to do well. That’s what he will be thinking at the moment, getting there in one piece, fit and healthy, and then he will believe the rest will do the talking like he has done so many times.”

Owen is also convinced Steven Gerrard will not be damaged by Liverpool’s failure to win the Premier League and, specifically, his slip in the pivotal defeat by Chelsea.

 “I don’t think you get to the top of your profession like Steven has done over the years without being able to bounce back from disappointments,” said Owen.

 “Steven hasn’t turned into a different player overnight, he has had a fantastic season and all the Liverpool players who are going to the World Cup will be full of confidence.”

England’s original World Cup boy wonder is backing Barkley, Sterling and Adam Lallana to flourish – although he warns they will experience the most intensive period of their careers.

Owen said: “You are that focused on your performance that every breath you take, every bit of food you eat, it’s an obsession. How do I do it the right way?

 “It’s non-stop thinking about sleeping, eating and drinking to get you in the perfect frame of mind.

“The World Cup is about peaking at one event. All your preparation, it almost becomes an obsession and when you are ready to go in that first game it’s almost like an explosion of all emotions going into it.”

Compiled by :M.D