Q In some ways the pressure is off because England have qualified but there is a weight of pressure on you because they are saying Wayne Rooney is back and he’ll put a smile on people’s faces. Are you aware of that?

A “Obviously we’ve qualified for the World Cup now so we’re delighted with
that. We want to go into the game and finish top of the group, that’s our
main priority. It doesn’t matter how we get the win, we want to get the
win.”

Q Do you want to go out at Old Trafford and turn it on?

A “Yes, obviously I was disappointed to miss the last game. I want to go out
and try and do a good performance and hopefully I can do that.”

Q There’s been criticism of the England team over recent performances. Do you think that’s been unfair or do you think they could have been playing better?

A “Obviously I think we could be playing better. It hasn’t been the best of
starts to the season for England. We want to put that right. Now we’ve
qualified for the World Cup our main priority is to do that.”

Q You had fantastic tournament at Euro 2004, now it’s more than a year on. How much do you think you have improved as a player and what impact do you think you can make on the World Cup?

A “I think I’ve improved a lot. Obviously signing for Manchester United has
made me a better player. I want to go to the World Cup, I’ve got a lot more
experience at international level now than I did before the Euros. So I want
to go there and try and go as far as I can with England and try and win the
World Cup with England.

Q What area of your game would you say you have improved the most?

A “Probably my heading. I didn’t score many headed goals but hopefully that
can come.”

Q There’s been a lot written about you so-called suspect temperament. Do you think you will be able to cope with being a marked man at the World Cup?

A “Yes, obviously in the past my temperament has let me down but I’m a young lad and I want to learn from that. I don’t think there will be many problems in the future.”

Q Do you think teams will try and wind you up?

A “Yes, probably. But I’m an experienced player now and I want to prove
that.”

Q Could it be quite good for the team because everyone else will have a bit more space?

A “We’ve got some great players in the team.”

Q The manager has been very supportive of you and he says if you took away all the aggression you would be left with less of a player. Is that the way you see it?

A “I want to enjoy playing and I want to win the game. I’m 110 per cent
committed. As I said before sometimes in the past 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 do better.”

Q Did you apologise to David Beckham, there was a lot written about your trip to Madrid?

A “David’s my friend and I went out to see him and to watch him play.

Q So it was nothing to do with the Northern Ireland game?

A “No.”

Q Did you feel in the heat of the moment you lost a bit of control between you David and Rio? I guess that’s what happens on a football pitch?

A “You go onto a football pitch and things happen, people have
disagreements. I think it’s forgot about before you leave the stadium. It’s
all blown out of proportion."

Q Everyone is going to expect an awful lot of you at the World Cup, have you got used to that?

A “Yes, obviously there’s a lot of expectation for the whole team. We want
to go out there, we were close in Portugal when we got knocked out on
penalties. We were disappointed with that and we want to go and improve and try to improve on that.”

Q The last thing you want is to be suspended for the first game by getting sent off on Wednesday, isn’t it?

A “I don’t think there’s any chance of that.”

Q It’s a good chance to show how far you’ve come, isn’t it?

A “I think we’ve got to win the game and that’s it.”

Q We all feel that if you don’t play England don’t have a chance of winning the World Cup. That’s a lot of pressure on you, are you aware of that sort of pressure?

A “Obviously there’s pressure on all of us but we’ve got a good squad and
we’ve got some of the best players in the world. If I don’t play there are
players who will play and will still score goals.

Q You don’t see yourself as a particularly special player, better than the rest?

A “No. I’m a squad member and it’s not individual, it’s a team game.”

Q The last two World Cups, can you remember what players you were watching and where you were watching them? Who were you pretending to be when you played in the streets?

A “The first one I watched with interest was France 98 really when Michael
had his first World Cup. He was a young lad and he did brilliant for
England. Obviously Michael is a fantastic player and he’s gone on to score
many goals for England and for his club as well. Watching that I used to go
out and try and be Michael and since then I’ve been lucky enough to partner
him many times for England.”

Q What about 2002?

A “I think it we had a good tournament. We got knocked out by Brazil, who
are a fantastic team. It was a close game but unfortunately we went out.”

Q Sven says he will put you back in the centre behind Michael Owen, do you feel you can have more influence on a game there?

A “I don’t know really. Obviously we’re playing football and trying to get
the ball and bring players into the game. So yes, I think I want to go out
there and score goals and make goals and I’m happy to do that.”

Q Is it harder to do that if you are on the right or left?

A “I don’t know really because that’s where I played all last season and I
scored 17 goals. I don’t know.”

Q What is your favourite position, if you were going to pick the team
yourself?

A “I don’t know to be honest. Obviously I’m not going to be picking the
England team, that’s down to the manager and wherever he wants me to play I’ll play.”

Q Is it harder for you now because you’re expected to be the player who either scores or creates chances?

A “I don’t know to be honest. A lot of teams now are getting better and it’s
more difficult to get goals. Each game is going to be tight and hopefully
you can get the win. But I have quite a lot more experience now and
hopefully that can shine through.”

Q You are 20 later this month, did you ever imagine going to the World Cup at that age?

A “No not really. To play in the World Cup is a dream come true.  As I say I’m a professional footballer and I want to go there. I’m confident an excited
to go there as well. I think we’ve got a really good chance.”

Q Do you think we should trust the players we have?

A “Yes, I think we have got some great players. We have players in the team who can win us the tournament.”

Q This will be your second major tournament. The thing everybody said about you in the first was that you were incredibly relaxed and that you just went out there took it all in your stride and enjoyed it.  Do you think you will be able to be as relaxed as that in Germany? Or will you feel the pressure more than in Portugal when it was all new to you?

A “I don’t know to be honest. When we got to Germany the main thing is to
enjoy playing football and want to play football and try and get the result
that everyone wants. It’s a massive tournament and we just want to go there
and do our best and hopefully try and win it.”

Q You say you don’t see yourself as a special player but you look at the squad and there’s no-one else like you in it. Did you think that sitting up in the stands on Saturday?

A “I don’t know really. Crouchy came into the squad and I thought he played
well. Obviously in the second half he was up front on his own which was
difficult but the first half he played well with Michael up front. Between
them they won the penalty which won us the game.”

Q But Defoe is like Owen, Heskey is like Crouchy, but there’s no other
Rooney?

A “Yes, but it’s not an individual game, it’s a team game. If somebody goes
down injured somebody else is going to come in.”

Q Outside of the England players, which other international players do you like watching?

A “I’ve said it before I think Ronaldinho is the best football player in the
world. He’s a great player.

Q Why is he a great player?

A “I think he’s strong, quick and he’s got good feet and he scores goals and
makes goals as well. That’s all you can ask from a forward.”

Q Wherever you go on and off the pitch you are followed by cameras, as you get older do you find that easier or harder to deal with?

A “I don’t know really. I do my own thing whether there are cameras are not.
I just try and be as relaxed as I can and try and get myself right for the
games.”

Q Do you ever look back and be amazed at what you have achieved by the age of 20?

A “Everything has gone so quick since I started playing football. But you
have to deal with that and my main priority is to win trophies.  The World
Cup is a massive tournament, the lads are confident, we have a great bunch
of lads.”

Q Do you ever stop to think about how far you’ve come?

A “Not really, no.  Maybe when I retire.”

Q Do you see the World Cup as your stage, the place to confirm you are one of the best players in the world?

A “Yes, definitely. I think everyone that goes to the World Cup wants to
prove themselves and I’m no different. I want to go out there and try and
score goals and make goals for England. I want to try and do the best I can
and try and win it.”

Q You got injured in a vital moment against Portugal, does the frustration of that moment drive you on? And how did you feel at that moment?

A “Obviously I was gutted, I knew straight away that I was going to have to
go off. I was disappointed and that makes me even more hungry to go to the
World Cup and to win it.”

Q People say if you had stayed on we could have gone on and won it. Did you feel like that?

A “I don’t know really. Darius came on and I think he played well. We were
unfortunate because we lost on penalties.”

Q Do you feel you can be as good as any player that’s going to the World Cup?

A “I hope so, yes. I like to be confident and believe in myself and  I
believe in the team as well.”

Q Do you still have football dreams? Do you wake up in the morning with them?

A “Yes,  it’s normally the night before the game I try and visualise myself
playing and hoping that the next game it will happen. People think about the
game the night before and try and focus.”

Q Have you had a World Cup dream yet, will that be next?

A “Hopefully, yes.”

Q You were flying into tackles in training today, is that the way you play, the way you train, you don’t know any other way?

A “Yes, I was always brought up to train the way I play the games. Any
player in the squad will tell you that. They want to win whether it’s in
training or in the World Cup Final.”

Q There’s an article in the papers today saying if you carry on at the
current rate you will break Peter Shilton’s caps record by the age of 31. Do you think about those kind of records?

A “I don’t know really. I don’t think about that at the moment. Hopefully in
the future if it happens it would be nice.”

Q Has Roy Keane been a great help to you?

A “Obviously Roy is a great player. He’s been at the top level for 10 years
and he’s a great pro so obviously working with him every day you learn a lot
from him.”

Q Has he spoken to you at any moment individually about anything?

A “No. I’m a professional footballer. I can find that out on my own.”

Q You talk about Brazilian football, some of us think of you as an English Brazilian. Is Brazilian football the ultimate for you?

A “Sometimes you watch Brazil and you think ‘how are you going to stop them’ Their forward players are frightening. They have been like that for 20 or 30 years. If we can try and be as good as them then obviously they are going to be the team to beat in the World Cup. If we can beat them we can go far and hopefully try and win it.”