• Premier League

Rooney: 'Hairdryer' can make or break us

Wayne Rooney admits he has sometimes stood his ground in arguments with Sir Alex Ferguson © PA Photos

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• Profile: Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney has revealed he has shouted back at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson when being on the wrong end of his infamous 'hairdryer' treatment.

Ferguson's tirades at his players when they fail to meet his standards have become notorious. Rooney, 26, who has often felt the Scottish manager's wrath, says it is not the nicest of experiences and has sometimes even found himself retorting.

"There's nothing worse than getting the 'hairdryer' from Sir Alex," Rooney said in his autobiography My Decade. "When it happens, the manager stands in the middle of the room and loses it at me. He gets right up in my face and shouts.

"It feels like I've put my head in front of a BaByliss Turbo Power 2200. It's horrible. I don't like getting shouted at by anyone. It's hard for me to take, so sometimes I shout back. I tell him he's wrong and I'm right."

The England striker admits some of his team-mates have been left with their confidence in shatters and struggling to perform properly on the pitch once they return from the dressing room.

"It spurs some of the lads on, but it crushes others. I've seen the manager shout and scream at people and when they've gone back on the pitch their heads have dropped. They've lost it."

Rooney says that Louis Saha received the worst treatment he has ever experienced, following a 1-0 loss to Celtic in a Champions League game in 2006, while even he was caught in the cross-fire that day.

"It's the worst 'hairdryer' I've seen," he said. "He's in Louis' face, shouting and screaming. But Louis isn't the only one getting an earful. The manager knows I've been negotiating a new deal with the club and he saves some for me, 'Players wanting more money from the club and new deals - you don't deserve anything after that performance!'"

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.