Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has recalled how a particular piece of advice from Sir Alex Ferguson led to significant improvements in his game.
Rooney ended his United career with a club-record 253 goals, as well as leading the scoring charts for England with a total of 53 goals for the Three Lions.
If it wasn't for one piece of advice from Ferguson though, his tally could have been less as he explained how one particular piece of advice struck a chord with him.
"You learn little things along the way. The best advice I received was from Fergie. He’d say 'you’re working too hard' and at first I thought, 'What do you mean? Isn’t that what you want?," he told The Sunday Times.
"But I used to try to run as hard as I could for 90 minutes and in the last 10 minutes be tired. The manager wanted his strikers to keep a little bit in the tank because that match-winning chance might not arrive until the 90th minute.
"I used to practise finishing when I was tired," he continued. At the end of a training session, I’d get a ’keeper and Eric Steele, the goalkeeping coach, and do five sets of six: a little sprint then a shot.
"By the fifth and sixth rep of each set, you were out of breath – and if you learn to finish when you’re tired, it’s so much easier when you get a chance and you’re normal."
