Wayne Rooney would have been arrested here - top officer

Wayne Rooney would have been arrested if he had shown such "ridiculous aggression" on a night out in Wolverhampton as he did on the pitch, one of the West Midlands' most senior police officers has said.

Superintendent Mark Payne said his officers in Wolverhampton would face more Rooneys this weekend and "no doubt somebody will be injured in some meaningless fight".

The 25-year-old Manchester United and England striker must serve a two-match suspension for his four-letter outburst to TV cameras at West Ham on Saturday.

Mr Payne used his personal policing blog to write: "If Rooney had behaved like that in Wolverhampton on Saturday night, I would have expected my officers to lock him up.

"People in positions of influence have an obligation to behave like human beings. It is not a lot to ask."

He went on: "I have seen a thousand Rooneys, and I am sure most police officers will have.

"The same aggressive stance, the bulging eyes, the foul-mouthed rant, fists clenched, surrounded by his mates, all cheering him on.

"I have seen this on Friday and Saturday nights, as young men (and more often young ladies) engage in a 'good night out'.

"I have seen people argue over almost every kind of nonsense you could imagine. 'He stole my place in the taxi queue', 'he looked at my girlfriend', 'he is from the wrong estate', 'I didn't like the look of him'."

Mr Payne said Rooney had "offered some form of apology". But he added: "What he won't be able to do is alter the impression that he has left in the eyes of the watching youngsters."