Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has admitted that he battled with binge-drinking during his playing career in an attempt to take his mind off issues he was facing.
Rooney, who is currently leading Derby County's admirable fight to stay in the Championship this season, has addressed his former binge drinking problems ahead of the release of the Amazon Prime Video documentary 'Rooney'.
The Rams boss — who scored 253 goals in 559 appearances for United, helping them win five Premier League titles during that time — joined the club from Everton in 2004 as an 18year-old.
Now looking to strive and succeed in management at Derby, Rooney has opened up on his previous battles, pointing out how big a challenge he faced in dealing with pressure during his younger days.
"I had made a lot of mistakes when I was younger, some in the press and some not in the press, whether that's fighting or whatever," Rooney told the Mail on Sunday.
"For me to deal with that, deal with stuff that was in the newspapers, deal with the manager at the time, deal with family at the time, was very difficult.
"In my early years at Manchester United, probably until we had my first son, Kai, I locked myself away really. I never went out.
"There were times you'd get a couple of days off from football and I would actually lock myself away and just drink, to try to take all that away from my mind.
"Locking myself away made me forget some of the issues I was dealing with. It was like a binge."
On the nature of those pressures, the former England captain continued: "It was just a build-up of everything, pressure of playing for your country, playing for Manchester United, the pressure of some of the stuff which came out in the newspapers about my personal life, just trying to deal with all that pressure which builds up.
"I was trying to figure out how to deal with it by myself. Growing up on a council estate, you would never actually go and speak to anyone.
"You would always find a way to deal with it yourself. It was trying to cope with it yourself rather than asking for help."
Having stepped into management a little more than a year ago, Rooney is currently looking to complete one of football's greatest miracle stories and keep Derby in the Championship, despite having 21 points deducted. The Rams are currently seven points from safety and the former United man remains adamant they can avoid the drop.
"Everything that has happened at Derby has made me think even more that I can have a good career in management," Rooney added.
"I believe that 100 per cent. I believe we will stay up. I think I could go into the Premier League and manage at a top club now. I have no worries about that.
"I know what my strengths are and, more importantly, I know what my weaknesses are."
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