A BOURNEMOUTH Wayne Rooney lookalike, who has posed as the England star in numerous adverts and campaigns, is backing the real thing to shine in tonight’s crucial World Cup game.

Chris Hayden, 27, started standing in for the England forward three years ago, after his friends sent his picture to several lookalike agencies.

He has since travelled to London, Manchester, Barcelona and Madrid taking part in photoshoots and filming adverts for companies including Nike and EA Sports.

And in one more unusual job, he even posed as the Manchester United star in an article about his hair transplant.

Chris, who works at a children’s nursery in Pokesdown, has met the real Wayne Rooney a couple of times during the course of his work. He said: “He’s decent, very focused on the job at hand but a nice guy.

“We’ve had a bit of banter before jobs. It’s weird for both of us when we meet up but we have a laugh.”

Despite England’s defeat in their opening game, Chris is optimistic they can improve, starting with tonight’s match against Uruguay.

“I think we’re going to do well,” he said. “I think we’ve got enough players of a good enough standard to get to the semis.

“Rooney’s looking trim, he’s looking ready, I think he’ll have a good tournament.”

He plans to watch the matches with his friends and hopes if Rooney does perform well, it will lead to even more bookings for him.

“Work is always up and down, depending on what’s going on. I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve done as Wayne Rooney so far and it would be nice to get more work.”