Rooney shines as United dump Villa with England boss Capello looking on

Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren would almost certainly have missed the moment when Wayne Rooney demonstrated why any England manager should build a team around him.

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The 89th minute, after all, was not a time for sitting in the stand but lounging in the back of an FA car enjoying the freedom of the traffic-free roads.

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Don Fabio chose to wait until the final whistle of his first game in his new role and what he then said to those he encountered in the directors' lounge of Villa Park would have been easy enough to follow.

Something, presumably, along the lines of bello Rooney for what was a magnificent goal and orribile Scott Carson for another error-ridden performance.

According to those present, the Italian spoke to almost everyone and did so in pidgin English.

He told the United contingent that he would probably see them at Old Trafford for Saturday's meeting with Newcastle, by which time he should be able to put his intensive English lessons to even more use.

When he then spoke to the members of his all-Italian backroom staff on the phone, he no doubt shared what he had witnessed in more detail.

There is talent in the side he has inherited, he would have happily reported. Not least in Rooney and Rio Ferdinand.

But there is also cause for concern, most notably with the current England No 1.

No surprises there, his coaches would have replied.

They know only too well that England have not been comfortable in the position since David Seaman was beaten by Ronaldinho from distance in Shizuoka.

Carson, like a number of his young colleagues, appeared to freeze in the presence of Capello at Villa Park and that is a slight worry given the pressure that comes with international football.

In fairness to Carson, he made a fine double save to deny Michael Carrick towards the end and he has performed well for Aston Villa in the wake of that calamitous blunder against Croatia in November.

For someone so young he has shown great character and deserves credit for that.

But Capello witnessed the kind of mistakes that cost Paul Robinson his England place, not least a tendency for parrying shots into the path of opposing strikers.

He was embarrassed by an early effort from the excellent Anderson and, had Ryan Giggs not been caught by surprise, would have been made to look even more foolish when he directed a shot from Cristiano Ronaldo to the feet of United's Welsh skipper.

Capello nevertheless chose to focus on the positives.

"To see a player like Rooney come on in such good form and have a major impact was good on my first day," he said.

Rooney was terrific, stepping off the bench in the 70th minute and transforming a game that had struggled to gain any real momentum.

"I've been trying to find the new Ole Gunnar Solskjaer," declared a delighted Sir Alex Ferguson.

"Although I don't think Wayne would appreciate that."

Capello watched Rooney orchestrate two brilliant one-twos with Ronaldo.

Both started with a long ball out to Ronaldo on the right and were followed by a run of 50 yards and two very different finishes.

The first flew over the bar. The second beat Carson at his far post.

"I am sure Fabio will look to build his team around Rooney," said Villa's John Carew, a former Capello student.

"The way he runs is impressive. He created two or three chances when he did a 40 or 50-yard sprint to get in the box. They should call him "Braveheart"."

Ronaldo had already struck his 19th goal of the season when Rooney scored.

While Villa remained well organised, this was one of their poorest performances of recent weeks.

Martin O'Neill dismissed the suggestion that his young English contingent — Gabriel Agbonlahor, Ashley Young, Nigel Reo-Coker and Carson — had suffered an attack of the jitters in the presence of Capello.

"I hope that isn't the reason that people didn't sparkle," he said.

Gareth Barry was among the few Villa players who did excel but he said the Capello factor would have been 'in the back of English minds'.

If it was, one young Englishman was inspired rather than inhibited.