Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on
Sir Alex Ferguson for keeping faith while his form in front of goal
dipped earlier in the season.
The England international made a slow start to the season following
his exertions at the World Cup finals and went on a 10-game run
without a goal during September and October.
Rooney's form was questioned by sections of the media, but
Ferguson's support was unwavering and the youngster has thanked his
manager for not losing faith.
"I didn't let it get me down. I look back on those 10 games and
there were times when the keepers would make brilliant saves to
deny me, or I'd get myself in great positions and it just wouldn't
come off," Rooney said exclusively in this week's Sport
Magazine.
"(Ferguson) just told me to keep playing and keep it simple, and
that the goals would come soon enough. He wasn't concerned about it
at all.
"It would have been worse if we weren't winning games - I think we
went through those 10 games without getting beaten.
"That was the main thing, that other players were weighing in with
their own goals and we were winning the games. It didn't matter
that I wasn't scoring."
Rooney admits it was nice to end his drought with a stunning
hat-trick against Bolton.
He added: "It's brilliant to score goals, though, and I was happy
to see that first one go in at Bolton - if only to shut a few of
the newspapers and the so-called experts up.
"I know my game's not all about goals, which is all that
matters.
"I like to create goals as much as I like to score them and I'd
happily go through the whole season without a single goal if it
meant us winning the league."
