Rooney was visited last week by detectives who showed him pages from private investigator Glenn Mulcaire's notebook.

Rooney's mobile phone number and those of his associates were listed on the pages seized by police, it is alleged.

The 25-year-old will wait until the end of the season before deciding what civil action to take, a source close to him said.

"He wants to concentrate on his football until then," the source said. "I think any football fan would understand that."

The matter came to light after Rooney revealed his meeting with police on Twitter.

Under his username @wazzaroon08, he wrote: "Scotland Yard detectives came to see me earlier and showed me some documents, looks like a newspaper have hacked into my phone.#Bigsurprise#."

Rooney's wife Coleen also tweeted: "Newspapers hacking into phones!! Desperate and Disgusting!!!! X"

A Scotland Yard spokesman was unable to confirm that a meeting had taken place but said it was "up to him" what he wrote on the website.

The inquiry into whether the Manchester United striker had his voicemails intercepted by the Sunday tabloid comes after claims earlier this month that Rooney's agent, Paul Stretford, was also a target.

Three journalists at the paper have been arrested since the Metropolitan Police reopened their inquiry into claims that staff hacked into the answerphone messages of celebrities and politicians.

A host of high-profile names who have made claims against the News of the World, including actress Sienna Miller and former culture secretary Tessa Jowell, have received apologies from the newspaper.

It has been estimated that News International has set aside £20million for payouts.

Scotland Yard has endured repeated criticism over its handling of the original phone-hacking inquiry, which led to the conviction of News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman and Mulcaire in 2007.

The paper's former editor, Andy Coulson, resigned as Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications in January as he admitted that the ongoing row about the affair was making his job impossible.

Days later the Met launched a fresh investigation, codenamed Weeting, after receiving "significant new information" from News International.

Rooney's spokesman, Ian Monk, declined to comment. The footballer will not be releasing a statement on the matter.

A News of the World spokeswoman also said there were no imminent plans to comment.