Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney is confident he can score more than 34 goals next season and inspire the club to Premier League glory.
Rooney s versatility has worked against him in recent years, deployed as a winger and even a holding midfielder by manager Louis van Gaal at times last term, but he will return to his favoured striking position in 2015-16.
The presence of past players such as Robin van Persie, Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo forced Rooney away from his natural role as a centre forward, but in the seasons when he was used up front, the England captain scored 34 goals in all competitions in both 20011-12 and 2009-10.
With the arrival of midfield duo Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin freeing up Rooney, the 30-year-old is ready to break his best ever season tally and end United s two-year wait for silverware.
My best position, and I have always said it, is as a striker, getting into the box, Rooney said.
And the two seasons I have really done that as a lone striker have been my two best goalscoring seasons. It is where the manager and myself see my best position.
Hopefully I can get a good run of games and repay the manager and score goals for the team, but it [pressure] is obviously on me to do that.
I have no doubts that I can score 20 goals or more again and I am ready to take on that mantle and be the one who gets the goals for this team. If I play up there again this season, then I can get the goals. It is where I like and it is where I will play.
Rooney added: If I am playing as a striker, I will be disappointed if I cannot that do that [score 20 goals]. The last time I really played the full season as a striker was 2011-12. All the other seasons, I have been up front, then in midfield or out wide, so hopefully if I will stay up front. But I don t think I have sacrificed myself too much over the years.
Football is a team game and you win and lose together. Over the years, I have been successful and won a lot of trophies with United and I think there are times when you have to do things for the good of the team and I feel I have done that.
I have played deeper or wider some seasons and won Premier League medals and, as a footballer, that is your aim – to be successful with your team-mates.
