Premier League Betting - Wayne Rooney Could Beat Ronaldo's Goal Record

Wayne Rooney's continued irrepressible form in the Carling Cup Final has Paddy Power cutting their betting odds on the Manchester United striker beating former team mate Ronaldo's 31 Premier League goals in a season mark.

The England and Manchester United striker now has 23 league goals to his name with ten games to go to break Ronaldo's tally from the 2007/08 season.

Almost certainly the world's best player on current form, Rooney is at odds of 7/2 to be named World Player of the Year this year and 10/1 to bag a hat-trick versus Egypt at Wembley on Wednesday.

Darren Haines, spokesman for Paddy Power, said: "Everyone expected Ronaldo’s departure to be an impossible void to fill in United’s goals for column but Rooney has stepped up to the plate with no trouble at all. Such is Rooney’s form at the moment he’s well on course to get there."

However many England fans will be wishing Fergie and Capello would wrap Rooney up in cotton wool between now and June 11th with fears that an injury to the country's Great White Hope would all but wreck England's chances.

The bookmaker is offering odds of 33/1 that Rooney suffers another heart-breaking metatarsal injury before the World Cup, just as he did back in 2006.