Rooney grateful to Capello

When a three-match ban was initially slapped on Rooney for kicking Miodrag Dzudovic in last October's encounter with Montenegro, the Manchester United striker feared he would not get selected for the finals.

After all, he reasoned, should England fail to emerge from its group, he would have zero involvement.

It was Capello who insisted the Football Association should appeal on Rooney's behalf, a stance that was proved correct when UEFA sliced a game off Rooney's suspension.

So, the 26-year-old is free to tackle co-host Ukraine in Donetsk, where a draw will be enough to secure a quarter-final berth.

"Being honest, if it had stayed at a three-game ban I wouldn't have expected to be here," he said.

"I was delighted Capello fought so hard.

"We both went over to Switzerland, appealed it and got lucky to get it down to two games.

"He did (go out on a limb) and I am grateful for that.

"Basically, he said when we went out there if there's one per cent of getting the ban down we have to try for it."

Had Rooney missed out, it would have extended an unhappy sequence of experiences at major tournaments.

Sent off against Portugal in 2006, the striker was an agitated figure in South Africa four years later, lashing out at disgruntled England fans after a dire performance in the goalless draw against Algeria in Cape Town.

Montenegro represented another low point, yet came in a season when Rooney's overall behaviour has been better than ever.

Indeed, his first Premier League booking did not arrive until the penultimate game, leaving him as nonplussed as the rest of us by those significant dips in self-control.

"I've been asked a few times about what happened with that red card," he said.

"Even now, I honestly can't explain it.

"It's similar to the one in 2006. It's not something I set out to do. I didn't think: 'Right, I'm going to kick this player'.

"I understood straight away it was a mistake and I have had to pay the price.

"Obviously as a player you have bad moments. Sometimes you have to go through those bad moments to experience the good."

Rooney is not even willing to blame the obvious pressure that comes with being one of the world's most high-profile sports stars for his occasional lapses, simply because he refuses to acknowledge its existence.

"I don't feel it," he said.

"Sometimes it might look like I do but I never think: 'I have to try too hard' to make us win.

"Maybe I would like to walk out and have a coffee, but it's difficult when you have 10 to 15 people following you.

"So sometimes you do lock yourself away. But that's part of it, I suppose.

"There are no problems with my attitude or my temperament. I'm happy and I'm ready to play."

Nevertheless, as Sir Alex Ferguson always knew when Rooney was getting into scrapes earlier in his career, maturity, and parenthood, has brought a calmer attitude.

Rooney is certainly a less bullish character than before.

For instance, it is hard to imagine him striding through the entrance of the Stary Hotel in Krakow, England's base for the tournament, and declaring: "The big man is back," as he did when he arrived back in Baden-Baden after his recovery from a broken metatarsal ahead of the 2006 tournament.

"I don't think I could say that now that Andy Carroll is in the squad," he said.

"I'm sure you all know I'm a confident person.

"I'm not one to shy away from games. I always want to do well and feel I'm good enough to do that.

"That's been in me since I was a young boy and it won't change."