Rooney will not burn out says Beckham

David Beckham has no fear Wayne Rooney will burn himself out ahead of England's bid for World Cup glory.

While Beckham will be trying his hardest to ensure there are no European celebrations this year and AC Milan turn round their 3-2 Champions League deficit to Manchester United in the decider at Old Trafford in three weeks, as a Red Devils fan and an England player, the 34-year-old has vested interest in Rooney maintaining his present high standards.

And, while plenty have expressed concern over Rooney's ability to maintain top form until mid-July, Beckham is not among them.

"Burn out will not be a problem," he said.

"Of course he can sustain that level until the middle of July. He should be able to. He is only 24.

"He looks after himself and works hard. The way he plays is the way he trains. That is why he is so good and why Wayne is ready for any game.

"It doesn't matter how many games he has played or how many he will be involved in to the end of the season, he will be ready for anything."

Beckham feels Rooney could be challenging for the coveted Ballon D'Or if England make an impact at the World Cup.

Neither he, nor Sir Alex Ferguson, have held back from their belief that Rooney has now joined Lionel Messi, Kaka and former United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo in the elite group of players currently regarded as the world's best.

But Rooney himself takes the accolades in his stride.

"If people are saying nice things about me that is good but I am not really listening too much," he said.

"I am not really focussing on that side of things. I know what I need to keep doing. I just want to keep playing well.

"I have been working a lot on getting into the box a lot more, especially inside the six-yard box.

"That is helping me to score goals, which gives me more confidence.

"I don't know how far I can go with my scoring total this season. I am delighted to have scored two goals in such a big game, two headers as well. Hopefully I can keep it up."