Wayne Rooney wants to emulate Manchester United legend Roy Keane by leading by example on the pitch.

Combative midfielder Keane is seen as one of Manchester United's greatest ever captains, and after Rooney was named skipper for England's World Cup qualifying game against San Marino, due to the suspension of Steven Gerrard and the absence of the injured of Frank Lampard, the United striker is keen to follow in Keane's footsteps.

"He was a great captain, vocal on the pitch and helpful off it," Rooney told reporters. "He didn't scare me. I respected him.

"He was one of the best players in the Premier League and Manchester United history.

"When he had a go at me, I wanted to show what I can do. Sometimes when you want to win, it's not always about sitting down and talking quietly.

"You have a go at each other to try. He was the same with senior players as he was with the younger ones. He wasn't afraid to tell anybody how he wanted them to play."

However, being named captain, even if only for a game, with Gerrard expected to return for Tuesday's match against Poland, is a big responsibility, and Rooney has not exactly been the best role model, both on and off the pitch.

Rooney was recently suspended for a reckless red card against Montenegro in the Euro 2012 qualifiers, while he unleashed an unnecessary tirade of profanities in the last World Cup in 2010.

The 26-year-old, however, insisted he has put his sketchy past behind him, and has matured considerably over the past couple of years.

"What happened in Montenegro was stupid," he said. "I regretted it as soon as I'd done it. It won't be happening again, I can promise.

"The thing against Algeria was partly to do with looking for a way to justify my own performance. Since then, I've matured more as a player and a person.

"I have cut out a lot of the silly tackles and mistakes I made as a young player. I don't want to be making the wrong type of headlines and missing games I don't want to be missing."

Rooney admitted it would be a great honor to lead his country out for the game against San Marino at Wembley. "It is a great honor," he added. "I'm really proud and excited. It will be a big night for me and my family.

"It is a big challenge for myself. I don't know what sort of captain I am and I already speak with all the players whether it is younger or older.

"But I will try and get the best out of myself and the other players -- and hopefully they can get the best out of me.

"Hopefully it will be a great result for us and I'm looking forward to the game."