Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew admits he's nervy about facing Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney today.

But he believes it would be foolish to devise a plan to deal solely with the England star.

Pardew said: "Rooney is a fantastic player, one of my favourites.

"I love how passionate he is about the game and the way he plays it with a toughness. He's England's best player and changes the game for them.

"He changes Manchester United. He changes them from a top-four team to a top-two team. That is how powerful he is. We don't have any particular plans to stop him because I don't think you can do that against United.

"If you have a plan for Rooney, then what are you going to do about Van Persie? You need a plan for the whole team."