Rooney out for revenge

Red Devils ace keen to beat Croatia

By James Pearson   Last updated: 22nd August 2008

Wayne Rooney England striker

Rooney: Out for revenge

We can't wait to get over there and beat them.

Rooney on trip to Croatia
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Wayne Rooney believes England will be on the warpath when they cross swords with Croatia next month.

Croatia's surprise 3-2 success over The Three Lions at Wembley last November ensured Steve McClaren's side failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

England had already suffered one defeat to Slaven Bilic's men in qualifying following a disappointing 2-0 defeat in Zagreb.

Rooney and co face their old nemesis again after being paired with Croatia in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.

With two famous defeats to Croatia still fresh in the memory, the Manchester United striker says England are seeking revenge.

Cannot wait

"All the players cannot wait for the Croatia game, with what they did to us, embarrassed us a bit," explained Rooney.

"We can't wait to get over there and beat them.

"Because of them, and also maybe because of ourselves as well, we were not at the Euros, so we want to pay them back."

Rooney has often been criticised for his lack of goals, but the striker is not looking to curb his defensive duties in order to save energy to attack.

"Maybe at times I am a bit too honest, and at club level the manager is telling me not to defend too much, to try and save some energy for when we are attacking," he continued.

"But sometimes you just want to win the ball back and work hard for the team. That is just how I play.

"Maybe it does affect my goals tally, but hopefully I can learn and get better."