Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has revealed how England boss Fabio Capello would man-handle his millionaire footballers to get his point across.

A week before the squad gather to prepare for the Wembley friendly against Africa Cup of Nations winners Egypt on Wednesday week, Rooney admitted: "When Capello came in on the first day, he was scary.

"It was mad. On the training pitch, you'd be training for about three seconds and then he'd stop you and put you in position and say that's where you should be. He'd physically move you! It was really intimidating."

Rooney is in no doubt that Capello's attention to detail is part of the secret of his success.

"He's changed everything," said Rooney. "You need to watch yourself if you make a mistake in training. He records everything and he once had Glen Johnson going over a tape because he wasn't happy with one of his throw-ins. Everything has to be right. But he's done a fantastic job and we're very happy to have him.

"He's restored our confidence as a team and he's given me the freedom to play. He gives confidence to some of the players who maybe in the past didn't have the belief that they were good enough to play for England. You can see it when you look around the team."