Rooney reveals weight battle after holiday

Wayne Rooney has admitted that he began the new Premier League season seven pounds heavier than the end of last season.

The Manchester United striker has published a book entitled ‘My Decade in the Premier League’ with excerpts of his biography being published in the Daily Mirror.

And after enjoying a summer holiday with alcohol and no training, Rooney revealed he returned to the club with some extra baggage.

“I’m like most blokes, I put on a few pounds after a holiday,” the 26-year-old England international admitted.

“Even if I don’t train for a week, I put on two or three, but when I get back to Carrington (Manchester United’s training ground) for the first day of work, I’m in for a shock.

“The scales in the club gym tell me I’ve put on a few more pounds than expected – seven. Seven!

“Then I remember – I drank a few bevvies (beverages) while I was away. I’m stocky. I’m not like Ryan Giggs, all bone and lean muscle.

“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.”

Rooney continued: “The club like us not to go overboard on the eating and drinking in the close-season break, so if I go abroad I like to get into the hotel gym three times a week to work on the treadmill and do some weight work.

“That way I can be sharp when we get back to training and the running will feel easier when the pre-season games start. But coming back for pre-season after a few bevvies and a few weeks away from a ball is physically tough.”

Rooney’s boss, Sir Alex Ferguson, said that his striker needs to take care of himself but defended his player’s attitude towards fitness.

“Wayne is no Ryan Giggs,” Ferguson acknowledged. “Ryan has never put a pound on in his whole life.

“Wayne is a boy that needs games, you can see that from the frame he’s got. He is stocky, strong and really needs games, simple as that.”