Wayne Rooney slams 'disgraceful' media coverage of drinking incident

Wayne Rooney has criticised the media's coverage of his late-night drinking while on England duty as "disgraceful".

The Sun newspaper published photos on 16 November that appeared to show Rooney drunk at a party in the early hours of 13 November – a day after England's World Cup qualifying win over Scotland.

The Manchester United captain apologised for the pictures, saying that they were "inappropriate".

But after United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal on 19 November, the 31-year-old accused the press of showing him "a lack of respect".

"I'm proud to play for my country and I'm proud of my achievements. It's not finished yet. I think what's been going on is disgraceful," he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"It shows a lack of respect and I think enough is enough. That's all I want to say."

On 18 November, United manager Jose Mourinho criticised the Football Association for not looking after Rooney while he was on international duty.

Members of the FA, as well as teammate Phil Jagielka, are reported to have been in the area of the hotel where Rooney stayed up late.

The FA banned players from being given time off during international breaks in the wake of the Rooney incident and warned the 31-year-old over his future conduct.

"When the player goes to the national team, he belongs to the national team and when, as I learned since I was a kid, if someone lends me something I have to take even better care of it than if it was mine," Mourinho said.

Rooney has not scored for United in the Premier League since the opening day of the season and has been in and out of the team due to injuries and a lack of form.

He started on the bench for the Red Devils in their 1-1 draw against Arsenal, despite first-choice striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic's unavailability through suspension.