Wayne Rooney ensured his involvement in tonight's Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland by approaching Fabio Capello personally on the flight to Basle yesterday to assure his manager that he was in the right frame of mind to play despite the intense scrutiny on his private life.

After the flight from Luton airport took off yesterday morning, the 24-year-old left his seat and, watched by his team-mates and Football Association officials, walked down the aisle for a brief chat with Capello

The England manager and his advisers had been concerned that Rooney would be mentally fit to play in the game and were planning to make a call on his suitability after last night's training session.

With that dilemma widely reported in yesterday's newspapers, Rooney took the initiative in telling his manager that he was fine to play in the game, amid allegations in the News of the World that he paid a prostitute for sex during his wife Coleen's pregnancy.

The conversation on the plane between player and manager was understood to be brief.

Later yesterday Capello said of Rooney: “I've spoken to him. [It was about] Private things. He will play. I monitored him during the training.

“He was good. He's focused.”

_{Source: Independent}