Wayne Rooney will win his 70th England cap against Wales, an outstanding achievement for someone who is only 25, yet he steps into the Millennium Stadium still with a point to prove and desperate to recapture his finest form.

He has 26 goals for his country but only one in the last 14 games, a run stretching 18 months.

NEW YEAR, NEW ROONEY

Rooney must have bid good riddance to 2010, which involved injury, off-field issues and a major contract squabble, plus a dramatic loss of form, a poor World Cup and Manchester United surrendering their Premier League title to Chelsea. There are already signs the new year has brought with it a change of fortune.

Back in business: Rooney has been in fine form for United

Since January he has scored seven goals in 15 games for United. There have been moments of magic but not the consistent brilliance he produced last season. Before his spell of one goal in 14 games for England, he scored 11 in the previous 10. That’s why it is painful to see him off the boil.

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