Rooney lashes out at media

Wayne Rooney has criticised sections of the media who questioned his form and speculated that the England forward had been relegated to training with the reserves at their base in Brazil.

The Manchester United striker came in for criticism following a muted performance in their opening 2-1 defeat by Italy in Group D on Saturday, with the Daily Mirror reporting he was now battling "to save his World Cup."

Rooney, who was used in a less-favoured left-sided role against Italy, was the only outfield player who started that match to do a full training session on Monday with the other nine only doing a gentle warm-down. "Sometimes wonder what the press are getting at," Rooney said on Facebook.

"I said from the start I want to do everything I can to make sure I'm ready for these World Cup games and as part of that I was doing extra training a week before the squad joined up. That's exactly what I did yesterday, my own extra training because that's what I wanted to do."

For a player who has enjoyed a glittering club career, Rooney's international form has frequently been questioned, especially around major tournaments, where he has struggled to make an impact following an impressive Euro 2004.

Rooney has never scored a World Cup goal.

He has been shunted out of his favoured position in the current England set-up with Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge occupying the sole central striking role.