While some have questioned whether Rooney has developed into the player many believed he would be when he first made the breakthrough with Everton as a 16-year-old, others point to the fact that six years on, the Merseysider still has plenty of time on his side.

Now a double Premier League champion and a European Cup winner, Rooney's CV is beginning to look impressive.

And while the 22-year-old knows he still has a lot to achieve, it seems he is moving in the right direction.

"Hopefully the Champions League will take me onto the next stage," he said.

"To win a competition like that is a great achievement for any player.

"We are all in the game to win trophies. I am no different.

"When I have finished I will look back and see how many trophies I have won and judge myself then."

Rooney certainly thinks his younger team-mates will benefit from the experience and feels United will benefit from the success enjoyed by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani and Anderson.

"We have a lot of young players in the team and it can only help us," he said.

"Hopefully we can take that into the next few years and make us a better team."

Rooney's short-term ambitions are solely to win more trophies.

But he is not convinced his own contribution can be improved by adopting a more selfish attitude as some have suggested, including Fabio Capello and Sir Alex Ferguson.

"I am an unselfish player, I have said that many times," he said.

"I don't just judge my performance on goals, I look at assists and how I have helped the team play. That is the way my game is."