Rooney has started the Premier League season in electric form and United, along with their neighbours Manchester City, have been setting the pace at this early stage of the campaign. One feature of Sir Alex Ferguson's side has been their use of the younger players in their squad, and Rooney is now regarded as one of the senior faces at Old Trafford. The England forward says he enjoys that extra responsibility and hopes his work ethic in training and in matches will be a good example to follow. He told Sky Sports Special Report: "We've got a lot of young players in the team. You know the young players will come in, look at you and see what you're doing, see how you are on the training pitch. "It's great for the manager to say that, but I feel that I've always trained the same, I've always worked hard and played the same on the pitch. I think if I'm not happy with something I've always let it known. "I think that's good for the young players to see that you care and you want to win. "People don't realise how hard it is to make it as a professional footballer and to stay there. Everyone wants your place, there are so many people trying and you need to make sure you stay at the top of your game. "From the age of 12 to 16/18, you need to learn, keep listening to your coaches and work extremely hard. There was a time when I was about 14 when I thought 'is this worth it?' but you realise in the end it is." Phil Jones has looked calm and assured in defence for the Red Devils, as has Chris Smalling, in the absence of Nemanja Vidic and, for the most part, Rio Ferdinand. The Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea is growing into his role while Danny Welbeck has looked sharp in the final third. Rooney continued: "De Gea obviously made a mistake in his first game but he's recovered and done really well for us. Phil Jones has been unbelievable and everyone how good Ashley Young is. Ashley is a winger who stays wide, delivers the ball into the box and that's exactly what you need as a forward. "With the younger players coming in we realised there's a lot of energy in the team. If we keep the ball moving quickly with one-twos round the box and defend from the front really quickly then we can nick the ball back off (our opponents) closer to their goal. Thankfully that's paid off for us." Ferguson will soon celebrate his 25th anniversary as United manager and Rooney believes he still has the hunger to bring more success to the club. He said: "It's unbelievable what he's done for the football club. The turnaround since I've been there has been massive. "It's incredible what he's achieved and the desire he still has is frightening to see."
