He tracks back and tackles, creates and scores. He's even kept goal at the end of England training, just messing about and saved a good few shots (and for all the problems between the posts, don't even think about it, Fabio).

But here are some cheeky little numbers to stir into the Rooney v Cristiano Ronaldo debate. Rooney's spree against Hull City took him to 84 Premier League goals for Manchester United, equalling.

Ronaldo's United total but achieved far more quickly (179 appearances to the Portuguese's 196) and mainly without the boost of penalties and free-kicks.

And here's a treat for lovers of sporting stats and symmetry: a goal for Rooney against Arsenal on Sunday will bring up his Premier League century. This includes his 15 with Everton, the first of which came against Arsenal. And one more amazing figure: 24, his age.

Rooney's best years are yet to come. Injuries permitting. Kia Joorabchian does his friend Carlos Tévez no favours Anyone who has charted Kia Joorabchian’s unwelcome journey through English football will be wearyingly familiar with the number of rancorous headlines he garners.

As a friend of Carlos Tévez, Joorabchian had every right to defend the Manchester City striker from the petty jibes of Gary Neville, Manchester United’s ‘Captain Cantankerous’.

As somebody who should be concerned about Wednesday’s Old Trafford meeting not becoming even more inflamed, Joorabchian should have waited until after the match before pontificating about Neville. But then putting the interests of English football first has rarely been a sentiment readily associated with Kia Joorabchian.