Roo had a poor World Cup in 2010 where England crashed out in the second round after being humiliated by Germany.  The experience had a knock-on effect on the striker’s international form as he struggled to hit his lofty heights in a Three Lions shirt last season.  It led to question marks over whether the nation needed Rooney as much as they used to.  But we’ve crunched the numbers and can reveal the striker is back to his talismanic best for his country.  He has banged in four goals in just three games at international level this season, registering against Brazil, Poland and a double against minnows San Marino.  Roo’s goal rush has inevitably raised his minutes-per-goal ratio to a prolific 59.0, up from 165.0 last season and 441.0 in a dreadful 2010-11 campaign.  SUNSPORT'S Shaun Custis previews the David v Goliath clash as England prepare to face tiny San Marino  We all know you don’t score goals if you don’t get chances, so it comes as no surprise to find the Scouser’s improved goal return coincides with more chances per game.  During his barren 2010-11 season, Roo was averaging just 1.67 shots per game.  And it wasn’t much better last year either as he managed an underwhelming 1.83.  But this year he has proved a constant goal threat for Roy Hodgson’s men, firing in an average of 3.67 shots per match.  His conversion rate has almost quadrupled from two seasons ago, going from 10.0 per cent to 36.4 per cent, explaining how he has rediscovered his clinical eye for goal.  At club level, Rooney can no longer be considered an untouchable player after he was axed from the starting line-up for United’s biggest game of the season against Real Madrid earlier this month.  BENCHED ... Rooney warms up with the other United subs against Real Madrid  With the signing of Robin van Persie from Arsenal, boss Alex Ferguson no longer has to rely on Rooney to be the club’s main source of goals.  But ironically, the stats show Roo is performing at a very high level in the Premier League this year.  The striker had a stinker relative to his own standards in 2010-11, managing just 11 goals in 28 games with a 202.4 minutes-per-goal ratio and a lowly conversion rate of 14.3 per cent.  But he was back to his predatory best last year with 27 Prem goals in 34 games  equating to 105.1 goals-per-game ratio and a 22.5 per cent conversion rate.  Those figures have been carried over this season with a 21.1 per cent conversion rate showing he hasn’t lost his touch when finding the net.  Check out the figures in the table below to see why England  and United  still need the 27-year-old hitman.
POLL: ROO may no longer be untouchable at Manchester United — but our stats show he is still nation’s go-to guy