Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen believes that Wayne Rooney needs to feel like he is the star player at Old Trafford.

Owen, who played alongside Rooney from 2009 to 2012, thinks that the England international wants to be known as the outstanding player at the club, and feels that such an attitude is a hallmark of the best players on the planet.

"If you are the number one in a top team – the main man, the goalscorer – you thrive on that role and those expectations," Owen told The Telegraph.

"Wayne will never have stopped feeling that he needs to be the main man in the United side. That can sound selfish [but] I can assure you, if you do not think like that, you will be just another footballer.

"All the top players have a need to be the most important figure in the team. They may not admit it, or announce it as a champion boxer might, but they all have those feelings churning inside. I am sure Rooney felt like that. His nose will have been put out of joint last season."

Rooney scored his 200th goal for the Red Devils in their 4-2 win against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Tuesday.