THE GRASS can always be greener - even if you are a millionaire footballer living in a plush Prestbury mansion.
And Manchester United star Wayne Rooney, who has commissioned an overhaul for his £50,000 garden to make it just like Old Trafford, is living proof.
The Reds striker - who fractured his foot again on Sunday in a match against Reading - has ordered workmen in to rip up the old turf at the £4m estate he shares with Coleen McLoughlin, so it could be replaced by new grass and under-soil heating.
Wayne and fiancee Coleen, both 21, had spent tens of thousands of pounds on lawns and shrubs in the run-up to their move to the purpose-built property in December 2005, after knocking down a 1930s house to build their sprawling castle the previous year.
But the garden became heavily scorched last summer, sparking fears the grass quality was damaged.
An insider said: "Wayne and Coleen thought it could be a good time to renovate the garden and get it up to the best standard possible.
"They have a great house but it needs to be complemented by a great garden.
"Wayne wants the grass to be as good as the turf at Old Trafford. Stepping out on the pitch is one of his biggest thrills and he wants to recreate that back home."
The couple already have a £30,000 security CCTV system, which is believed to have sensors which will pick up any movement up to 50 yards outside the house. And while Rooney recovers from his damaged metatarsal, he will have no problem keeping up with the football on his seven plasma screen TVs, worth an estimated £40,000.
The soccer star has come a long way from the council semi in Liverpool where he grew up - and it seems his life is now a very big bed of roses.
