ANDERSON: Keep football simple

Manchester United midfielder Anderson has suggested a novel reason for England's failure at the World Cup - they run too much. 

Anderson was the energetic heartbeat in United's 5-0 win over Birmingham at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Yet the former Porto man is not quite the non-stop bulldozer many would believe. 

Instead, Anderson feels the ball has to do the hard work, which is something he is convinced England have not grasped. 

"Fitness is a priority but it is more important to make the ball do the work," he told United Review. 

"You don't need to run all over the pitch. It is much better to pass the ball well from one point to another. 

"It can move faster than you can, so you should keep football simple and pass the ball as much as possible.

"In England, sometimes people think you aren't very good if you don't run around a lot. 

"But I think that is one of the reasons why England don't do very well at World Cup finals. They run around too much." 

Anderson has always been an amusing character, however United fans are now seeing a different side to him, having found some consistent form for the first time since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2007. 

One thing the Red Devils will not be seeing though is the 22-year-old getting scalped. 

The midfielder may have had his garish underwear posted on Twitter by Rio Ferdinand, but there is no way he will let anyone near his hair. 

"There is no chance I would ever consider having all my hair cut off," he said.

"My hair is my life. It is so important to me. If you cut off my hair, it is like cutting out my heart or cutting off my legs. I would cry for days and days."