Rooney wants to stay at United

Wayne Rooney says he wants to see out his career at Manchester United, and has revealed how his recent horror injury was almost much worse.

In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports ahead of the launch of his new book - My Decade in the Premier League - Rooney has given a unique insight into his time with the Red Devils and Everton.

England's star striker burst onto the scene as a precociously talented 16-year-old in 2002, fully justifying all the hype over his potential with a stunning strike against Arsenal as he beat Gunners great David Seaman from outside the box to secure a 2-1 triumph for the Toffees.

He made the move to Old Trafford in August 2004, with the ?20million invested in his services by Sir Alex Ferguson worth every single penny following a return of 181 goals from his 367 appearances - taking him to fourth place on the club's all-time record goal scorers' list and with Sir Bobby Charlton's legendary tally of 249 within his sights.

The 26-year-old is under contract with United until June 2015 after signing a new and improved five-year deal back in 2010 following an unforgettable few days when he asked to leave the club - a moment he regards as his biggest mistake - before performing a dramatic U-turn.

And, despite further speculation over his long-term future with United surfacing again in the opening weeks of the season, Rooney insists his commitment is unwavering and that he would happily see out his playing days at the Theatre of Dreams.

He told Sky Sports: "When you first join a club, you want to do well and you want to be successful. I've managed to do that with Manchester United. Being here for eight years, it's like a family club, you get to see all the history and how big the club has grown over the years.

"You feel part of it; you are part of that history. I love playing for Manchester United and as long as I am wanted to play for this football club I will be here for a long time. It is a great football club and, let's be honest, where else can you go from this football club? It is probably the biggest team in the world."

When asked if he would stay at Old Trafford for ever, he replied: "I hope so. I want to be successful here, I want to still be playing here in the next 10 years and be successful.

"You look at Giggsy and Paul Scholes, how successful they have been, they are an example to us all. That is the idea, that is the plan, and hopefully that will be the case."

Rooney is currently on the sidelines after suffering a frightening injury in the recent 3-2 victory over Fulham when an attempted block by Hugo Rodallega led to the Colombian forward's studs opening a large gash in his thigh.

Although the United star is yet to begin running again, he remains hopeful of being back in action before the end of the month, although it was terrifyingly close to the problem being significantly more serious.

He admitted: "I was quite lucky, to be honest. It somehow didn't hit my muscle. It was a millimetre away from my artery so it could have been a lot worse than it was. I have to thank God I am quite fortunate.

"The doctor said a lot of players would have fainted. They tried to cover it up in the dressing room when they were treating it to stop it becoming infected, but I told them I wanted to see it.

"It is feeling good at the minute and is healing quite well, but it is basically down to the doctor. You have to be careful and I don't want to come back too soon because I could get a bang on it and it would open up again.

"We said at the time there was a four-week scale and that would be the case, I imagine."