England striker Wayne Rooney yesterday warned defenders they will be wasting their time trying to wind him up at the World Cup finals as he vowed to clean up his disciplinary act.
While the Manchester United striker insisted his team-mates would make the most of any attempt to target him, he vowed to use the frustration of his Euro 2004 injury as added inspiration to win the trophy.
In the past month, Rooney has been sent off for United after sarcastically clapping referee Kim Milton Nielsen and banned for England's qualifier against Austria with his second booking of the campaign in Belfast.
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Combined with an angry outburst at David Beckham, who urged him to calm down in Northern Ireland, the 19-year-old's volatility has become a cause for concern, given his importance to his country.
However, he insists he will pass the next test of his notoriously fragile temperament, with Nielsen set to referee tomorrow's tie against Poland and will also not let his teammates down next summer.
Asked if he could cope with being a marked man at the World Cup, Rooney declared: "Yes. Obviously in the past, sometimes my temperament has let me down a couple of times but I'm a young lad and I'm going to learn from that.
"I don't think there will be many problems in the future. I go into each game and want to win. I'm 110 per cent committed.
"Sometimes when it hasn't gone right, my temperament has let me down a bit but I'm trying to put that right and I want to get better."
Asked if he believed teams would try to wind him up to provoke a response, he admitted: "Yes, probably, but I'm an experienced player now and I want to prove that."
But would it actually be a benefit if he was targeted, allowing the likes of David Beckham, Frank Lampard and Michael Owen more space in which to inflict damage on the opposition?
"Maybe, yes. We've got some great players in the team and if they have too much time and space, then they'll punish teams," he agreed. As for his encounter with Nielsen, he said: "I think he's a good referee.
"He's been refereeing for years and has done a good job so there's no problem there."
England will be without Steven Gerrard, Gary Neville, Ashley Cole, Sol Campbell and Beckham against Poland, although Paul Robinson and Luke Young should be fit despite missing training yesterday.
Ledley King, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Rio Ferdinand should return to the side, while Rooney returns after suspension.
"It's not nice missing any game, so I'm determined to win and get a few goals," he said. "Obviously we could be playing better, we haven't had the best of starts to the season for England, and we want to put that right for the fans.
"I don't think the pressure is off, the pressure is on to finish top of the group and we'll attack them and go for the win. It would give us that boost and confidence we need going into the World Cup."
Rooney, who turns 20 in a fortnight, believes his game has developed since the Euro 2004 finals, having gained nine more caps and Champions League experience.
"Signing for Manchester United has made me better, I've got a lot more experience at international level, so I want to try to win the World Cup for England," he said.
