Nani talks up on Rooney

Rooney9 SG

Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is struggling to bring the best out of misfiring Wayne Rooney.

The Manchester United striker has looked a shadow of his former self in recent weeks, failing to hit the heights of last season.

The England international has scored just three goals this term, with injuries and a distracting contract saga hindering his cause.

He is now in real danger of losing his starting role, with Mexican starlet Javier Hernandez waiting in the wings.

The 22-year-old helped to dig United out of a hole at Blackpool on Tuesday, making an immediate impact after replacing Rooney in a dramatic 3-2 win.

Ferguson admits to being impressed with Hernandez's ongoing progress and faces something of a selection poser now that he is outshining Rooney.

Following the midweek encounter at Bloomfield Road, Ferguson said: "We tried to use Wayne as a wide player and although he has played that role well many times, he was just not getting into the game in the first half.

"It was no fault of his. The rhythm of our game wasn't right. We were all over the place.

"We then tried to put him through the middle but, when we were still 2-0 down 20 minutes into the second half, we had to do something and had to gamble.

"Chicharito [Hernandez] was a gamble. But of course immediately he went right through and forced a terrific save from their goalkeeper.

"Then he got the equaliser for us and in fact could have scored four goals. So he made a great impact."

iceFatboy SG

convert rooney to a keeper to replace EDS la..

can't score, may as well, keep goals out la.

kidding.

TIB657M SG

But at least he assist pro now

Dead_Man_Inc SG

However hard to believe we find this, Manchester United would at least get a good price with the England man now on a five-year contract.

Certainly, his words accompanying his re-signing seemed to come more from a script than his heart.

United fans who regard this prospect as madness will have had some of their fears allayed at Bloomfield Road in midweek, where there were clear signs there could be life after Rooney.

His second-half replacement by young Javier Hernandez turned the game on its head and launched the comeback that saw United level within six minutes before going on to win 3-2.

Hernandez is saddled with the unfortunate nickname of 'El Chicharito' — the Little Pea — but he had more of the dynamic properties of a Mexican jumping bean in a performance that saw him score United's second, sandwiched between two more goals from Dimitar Berbatov.

So much for Rooney being irreplaceable.

So much also for the theory that Berbatov only scores when Rooney is on the pitch.

Of course, Hernandez came on at a time when Blackpool had more or less run themselves into the ground.

And it's claimed he is far less impressive when he starts games.

But even Alex Ferguson has been bowled over by his progress, saying: "He has made a tremendous impact in his time here.

"His pace and timing of runs are fantastic."

Yes, there were mitigating circumstances for Rooney at Blackpool — he was forced to play wide at a time when Ian Holloway's side had the wind firmly in their sails. But even when he was switched down the middle, United continued to struggle.

Yet the emergence of Hernandez as a real rival for Rooney's place will ensure that Ferguson continues to hold the upper hand in his dealings with his star player.

When the England striker announced his intention to quit Old Trafford earlier in the season after allegedly falling out with his manager, it seemed that United could be faced with the ultimate power-battle. Who goes first — Rooney or Ferguson?

But with United continuing on their merry way either without Rooney or with him firing on only a couple of cylinders — still just three goals for them all season — Ferguson's position has been strengthened.

Should United actually succeed in going the whole campaign unbeaten, Ferguson will have made a powerful point.

Then comes the big decision.

He may, like he did with Cristiano Ronaldo, decide to cash in. And there's little doubt Jose Mourinho would have Rooney at Real Madrid.

Alternatively, Ferguson might believe Rooney's all-round game is such he could play him just behind Berbatov and Hernandez.

Whatever the outcome, Ferguson holds the cards.

KENNY DULLFOOL SG

GET RID OF THIS BALD HEADED DICKHEAD.NOTHING BUT TROUBLE.SELL HIM TO LIVERPOOL OR MAN CITY

Keii SG

Personally, I do not care if he doesn't become a scoring powerhouse like last season. He's been very effective in many other areas of the field, like assists and defence.

Rock^Star SG

cannot sell rooney. We almost sold berba man, look what he's doing now. Rooney has that vision for a defence splitting pass. He holds the ball well too, a key skill in in the final third. He will rediscover his form.

Rooney9 SG

Nani is convinced Wayne Rooney's return to form is bad news for Manchester United's title rivals.

On the night Sir Alex Ferguson delivered a demand for Rooney to hit double figures this season, the 25-year-old scored for the first time in open play since March.

His double took him onto five for the season and whilst that figure still has Rooney trailing Park Ji-sung and Nani, in addition to free-scoring duo Dimitar Berbatov and Javier Hernandez, the likelihood of the England star bagging many more is high.

And, as the championship battle starts to take shape, that could leave United in a very advantageous position.

"Wayne will go on a run now," said Nani.

"He might not have scored many goals but he is very important for the team because he works so hard in every game.

"Sometimes the games haven't gone the way he wanted but last night was his best performance of this season.

"He will be more confident now and I am sure he will score more goals in the next few games."

That belief does not bode well for Arsenal and Chelsea, whose campaign has been reignited following the stunning £70million acquisitions of Fernando Torres and David Luiz.

United have not bought players at anything like that level since Berbatov arrived for a club record £30.75million in 2008.

Ferguson continues to insist there is no value in the market, a view that is hard to challenge given Liverpool paid more for Andy Carroll on Monday than it cost Barcelona to sign David Villa from Valencia last summer.

Yet, despite the frugal approach, United have somehow got themselves five points ahead of the pack and their last three performances - against Birmingham, Blackpool and Villa - have, in their different ways, borne the hallmark of champions.

"We are a very confident team at the moment," said Nani.

"We don't want to lose and will work hard to keep this way because we want to finish the season in first."

Should United avoid defeat at Wolves on Saturday, they will create a new club record of 30 league matches unbeaten too.

"I don't know how long we can go on for but we hope to finish the season unbeaten," said Nani.

"It will be very hard but we intend to win those last games as well."

United did not quite emerge from last night's encounter unscathed.

Darren Fletcher took a nasty blow to the face during the first-half and though he was patched up and tried to play on, the Scotland skipper did not last long.

He will need to be monitored before facing Mick McCarthy's men, while Rafael must also be given the all-clear after failing to return from the concussion he suffered at Blackpool seven days earlier.

These do appear to be minor inconveniences at present, although with the Manchester derby looming on February 12 and the trip to Chelsea still pencilled in for March 1, it won't be long before the Red Devils face the acid test of their title credentials.

However, if desire is a major requirement, Ferguson's team are halfway there already, their lead coming from the manager, and also veteran winger Ryan Giggs, who has already won 11 titles but still has room for another.

"You have always got a challenge to focus on or a disappointment to get over," he said.

"I have been fortunate to have a lot of success down the years but I am greedy and it ends up being the disappointments that you think about more and more.

"There have been more highs than lows but the lows stay with you and drive you on."

KENNY DULLFOOL SG

FUCK YA NIGGA