Owen Hargreaves has tipped Wayne Rooney to show his true talent this season.

Rooney's form has been slightly disappointing over the last couple of seasons even though he collected two Premier League titles and a Champions League winners' medal.

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he shares some of the responsibility for playing Rooney out of position at times as he tries to make the most of his energetic nature.

But Hargreaves has no doubt the England striker will silence his critics this term.

"This will be a massive season for Wayne Rooney," said Hargreaves.

"Ability-wise I believe he is the best in England and I am confident he will be one of the most influential in the Premier League this year.

"I am really looking forward to seeing him explode because it is rare to come across someone with so much talent who is so unselfish."

It is Rooney's unselfish nature that has caused some of his problems. A willingness to sacrifice himself for the team has seen the 22-year-old carry out duties far removed from a striker's role. It is something Fabio Capello was quick to spot and Hargreaves can see the problem as well.

"Technically, he is out of this world but maybe he could look out for himself a little bit more," said the midfielder.

"When we played Aston Villa in the FA Cup last season, he was only on the field for 20 minutes and he won the game.

"Not many players can do that and it is no coincidence we were so successful last year with Wayne and Carlos Tevez working so hard up front.

"Without doubt, he is still improving. He can do more this season, score more goals and be more effective.

"It is a natural process that just takes a bit of time."

After being ruled out of United's tour of South Africa and Nigeria because of a tendinitis problem that first became apparent 12 months ago, Hargreaves is hoping to be fit for the high-profile friendlies with Espanyol and Juventus next week.

The arrival of Juve on August 6 will be particularly significant given it will be the Italians' first visit to Old Trafford since the match-fixing scandal that enveloped them two years ago.

And, as potential Champions League opposition, Hargreaves is keen to see Claudio Ranieri's side in action as United plot the defence of their trophy.

"I don't think anyone has retained the Champions League, so that is obviously a massive goal for us," said the former Bayern Munich man.

"If we could improve on last season I would be extremely happy but it is going to be tough."

Tough but not impossible in Hargreaves' opinion.

United may not have added to their squad yet but the Calgary-born star would be surprised if Sir Alex Ferguson left the situation that way.

And even with Anderson away with Brazil on Olympic duty and Cristiano Ronaldo recovering from ankle surgery that will leave him on the sidelines until October, the Red Devils already have plenty of ammunition to call upon.

"We can get better," Hargreaves said.

"The most important thing is to peak at the right moments.

"It won't be easy because Barcelona have signed the right players, Real Madrid have strengthened and Chelsea have improved massively.

"But if we can get to the quarter-finals, I don't think we will be too far away at all."

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