Wayne Rooney has talked about the tough and unusual pre-season drill he had at Manchester United when he got there seven pounds overweight.

The former England captain said he “hated pre-season,” but he knew how to get back on track after letting his standards drop over the summer.

Since he was named manager of Plymouth Argyle in May, Rooney’s job is to put younger stars through their paces. Their five pre-season games have gone three wins, one tie, and one loss.

“I used to hate the off-season.” Every pre-season, I’d be six to seven pounds heavier when I got back. “I knew I had to work hard,” Rooney said on the Sky Bet-sponsored Stick to Football show.

Rooney said he didn’t train at all over the summer, which surprised Ian Wright. Gary Neville said he worked out some over the summer.

Rooney also said, “I used to use the exercise bike in the steam room the day before we came back in.”

“Really, the night before we had to weigh in, I’d lounge around in there dressed up for an hour.”

“I wouldn’t eat or drink anything.”

Rooney seems to have lost weight because he cut back on energy and worked out in the extreme heat.

He led Everton and United in the Premier League for 16 years and never played less than 25 games in a season.

During his career, he played 883 times for both his club and his country, but that doesn’t mean he always liked the fitness part.

He wrote about the summer of 2009 in his 2012 book “My Decade in the Premier League”: “Early July: the first day back at pre-season training.” Like most guys, I gain a few pounds after a trip.

“Even if I don’t work out for a week, I gain two or three pounds. But the first day back at Carrington is a surprise.”

“The club gym scales tell me I’ve gained seven pounds more than I thought.” Seven!

“Then I remember—I had a few drinks while I was away.”

“I’m fat.” Not at all like Ryan Giggs, who is all bone and lean muscle. But I add weight very quickly.

It’s not a hardship, though. It’s not like the boss is watching me over my shoulder while the numbers come in and making fun of me for eating too many chip butties. I know I can change it in a week or two anyway.

He told Stick to Football about his move to DC United in 2018: “When I went to the MLS, the team was in LA, so I went out and ran for three days.”

It was a hundred degrees Fahrenheit. It looked like beets on my face. I could hardly move.

“What am I doing here?” I asked myself as I walked down the street.

“(I was) In terrible pain.”I loved being there by myself because I knew I would be able to sleep in the afternoon.

“Getting a nap in the afternoon was the best part of pre-season for me in the U.S.”

Wayne Rooney was on the show Stick to Football, which is brought to you by Sky Bet.