Rooney: We Won't Panic

As the title race edges towards crunch time, there are likely to be plenty of tense moments between now and mid-May. But Wayne Rooney insists Manchester have the nerve and, most importantly, the experience to ensure the panic button need never be pushed.

After producing an inspired second-half display to come back from three goals down at Chelsea last month, the Reds held out to earn a crucial 2-1 win over Liverpool at Old Trafford and, last weekend, turned one point into three at Carrow Road with a dramatic late winner.

Rooney admits that in the past an air of panic may have set in during desperate situations, but says the experience he and many of his team-mates have picked up in recent years has taught the squad never to lose hope.

"When I was a young lad and first at the club we might have been losing a game 1-0 or 2-1 and I’d have been saying ‘just put the ball in the box’ and panicking a bit about losing the game," he told Inside United.

"Now I’m older and more experienced you know to just keep playing your game because there’s always a chance you’ll get an opportunity to score. I think that comes from playing so many games and the experience you pick up along the way."

Rooney says preparing properly for every game is particularly important at this stage of the campaign, while staying mentally strong is just as vital.

"It's important to manage yourself and how your body feels," he explains. "Training is less intense when there are lots of games and you might take things a bit easier one day because you’re managing how your legs are.

"The training intensity probably goes down [in the final stages of the season] because the matches come thick and fast and you have to make sure you’re right for the games.

"You know you have to be strong mentally to play at your best," he adds. "We just need to keep focused, keep working hard and hopefully we’ll get our rewards."