Rooney defends Welbeck over lack of goals

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has defended his teammate Danny Welbeck for his recent lacklustre form in front of goal.

The England international has netted just one goal in 27 appearances for the Red Devils this season but Rooney expects the forward to find form.



"He is a great player and his time will come when he gets that run up front," BBC Sport quotes Rooney as saying. "Then I am sure then he will score goals."



Meanwhile, United are on course to clinch the Premier League title this season due to their nine-point lead at the top of the table.

Nani and Rooney could make comeback's in Cup

Wayne Rooney and Nani could make their comebacks in Manchester United’s FA Cup third round replay against West Ham a week tomorrow, following Robin van Persie’s injury-time goal at Upton Park on Saturday.





Rooney has been missing since Christmas Day with a knee-ligament injury while Nani has been out since November because of a hamstring problem.

Top-selling official EPL player jerseys

Robin van Persie’s popularity at Manchester United since joining from Arsenal in the summer is demonstrated by news that his is the best-selling official Barclays Premier League shirt in North America this season.



Figures released by Sporting ID, which produces the names, numbers and sleeve badges of the Barclays Premier League, show that the United forward, who has scored 11 Premier League goals so far, leads his United strike partner Wayne Rooney, who was found to have had the best-selling shirt in the League’s history. In third is Chelsea striker Fernando Torres.

"North American soccer fans support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else"

Robert Thayne

United States striker Clint Dempsey is the biggest mover, rising to sixth after his move from Fulham to Tottenham Hotspur in August. Dempsey is the first US player to make the top 10 in North American sales.

"North American soccer fans continue to support the Barclays Premier League as fanatically as anywhere else, often waking at 4am to catch games on TV," said Sporting iD’s global sales and marketing director Robert Thayne. "Players like Van Persie, Eden Hazard, Clint Dempsey, Steven Gerrard and Jack Wilshere are top-class players playing for the biggest clubs in the world and their fans in North America are really no different than the ones who live in the UK.

“They are clearly showing their support of these players and their club by personalizing jerseys with official Premier League player names, numbers and sleeve badges.”



Top-selling official Barclays Premier League player jerseys in North America : -



1. Robin van Persie (Manchester United)

2. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

3. Fernando Torres (Chelsea)

4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

5. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

6. Clint Dempsey (Tottenham Hotspur)

7. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

8. Javier Hernandez (Manchester United)

9. Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United)

10. Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Rooney: Tipped to perform well at the World Cup

Roy Hodgson has tipped Wayne Rooney to be one of the stars of the tournament at the next World Cup in Brazil, but admits the pressure to perform can be too much for even the best players.

Rooney failed to impress at the 2010 World Cup and, after being suspended for the first two games of Euro 2012, barely made an impact in Poland and Ukraine this summer.



Hodgson hopes the atmosphere in Brazil will bring out the best in Rooney and has revealed just how determined the Manchester United striker is to leave an impression on the greatest stage.



"Wayne could thrive here on this stage. He's a great player, a player who decides games, and he could be one of the stars of the tournament," Hodgson told The Times on a visit to Rio de Janeiro this week.



"He's an unbelievably talented player who, in his own opinion, still has unfinished business there.



"He would love, I'm sure, to have a great World Cup. He's a player who desperately wants to do well for England and he was desperately proud when I gave him the captaincy against San Marino.



"Nobody wants to do better than him, but of course he bears that burden every time he steps on to the field."



There is a huge level of expectation on Rooney and Hodgson appreciates how difficult that can be to handle.



"The whole of England, including the press, expect him to play at the very, very top of his game and sometimes, of course, he can't do that being a human being," explained the Three Lions manager.



"Quite often in World Cups the responsibility falls upon one outstanding player to bring his team through, and it can be too much. I remember 1994; Roberto Baggio was a massive star - I worked with him later at Inter Milan - and the pressure upon him to really deliver for Italy proved a little bit too much.



"At the last World Cup, we all thought Lionel Messi was going to be the man and perhaps he wasn't.



"Quite often the players have had this burden to carry on their shoulders. We've seen it in glimpses, but at the end they maybe haven't quite done so but still rank among the world's greatest players."

Ferguson will not rest Rooney

Sir Alex Ferguson has no plans to rest Wayne Rooney against CFR Cluj as he looks to ensure the Manchester United striker is at peak fitness for Sunday's derby.

United face Cluj at home on Wednesday night in their final UEFA Champions League group game and top spot has already been assured.



Ferguson is expected to make several changes to his team for the game, but he is not intending to leave Rooney out ahead of the weekend's clash with local rivals Manchester City.



The United boss does not want the England international to lose any momentum after he missed the matches against Norwich City and Galatasaray last month due to illness.



And, having scored twice against Reading in the Premier League last Saturday, Ferguson wants Rooney to build on his 'best performance of the season'.



"When Wayne gets interrupted, he needs three games to get back," said Ferguson. "That's why he'll definitely play.



"Wayne needs to play a lot of games to get his match fitness up. He's a strongly-built lad and when he misses two games, it takes him three games to come back. It's the way he's always been.



"He'll play and hopefully that brings him on further. On Saturday [at Reading], that was his best performance of the season so far."

Wayne Rooney fears Carroll threat

Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United to pay special attention to Andy Carroll on Wednesday night.



Carroll is bound to get a frosty reception from the Old Trafford faithful when West Ham travel north. As a Liverpool player with an enormous price tag, it is hard to imagine the United fans will not single him out.



However, after working alongside the 23-year-old at close quarters during Euro 2012, Rooney knows the reality of Carroll's performances is nowhere near the perception many have of him.



The burly forward will travel north with confidence high following his first goal of the season at Tottenham on Sunday. And Rooney has warned his United team-mates to be on their guard.



"Andy Carroll is a handful," said the striker. "I am sure if you ask any defender, they find it difficult to play against someone like that who is good in the air and on the floor.



"He is physical and makes it hard for opponents. That type of player doesn't always get all the goals but they can cause trouble up front and create problems. I am sure that is what Sam Allardyce wants him to do."

Rooney relieved to score spot-kick

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney admitted luck played a significant part as he bounced back from his penalty miss against Arsenal by converting one in Braga.



Rooney has a mixed record with spot-kicks and became the fourth United player to miss one this season when he struck wide in United's 2-1 Premier League victory over the Gunners at Old Trafford on Saturday.



But that did not deter him from stepping up four days later to take on the responsibility again when the Red Devils were awarded another one with five minutes of normal time remaining in their Champions League Group H clash at the Estadio AXA.



After substitute Robin van Persie's 80th-minute effort had cancelled out Alan's opener - also a penalty - for the hosts four minutes into the second half, it was an opportunity to put United in front for the first time and Rooney, who had earned the spot-kick when Nuno Coelho was adjudged to have fouled him, made the most of it by beating goalkeeper Beto with a firm shot.



The 27-year-old appeared to skid a little on the wet surface as he fired the ball in and he conceded afterwards that he had been "a bit fortunate".



Asked if he had had any doubts about taking the penalty, Rooney said: "No, not at all.



"Obviously I was disappointed at the weekend, not only to miss but to miss the target.



"I said after the game it wasn't good enough and (against Braga) I was a bit fortunate; I slipped but thankfully it's gone in so I'm happy with that.



"At the time it happened so quick, but obviously I've seen it going towards the goal and the keeper going the other way.



"I was happy with it going in but obviously I've been quite lucky with that."



With Javier Hernandez adding a close-range finish in stoppage-time, United went on to complete a 3-1 victory that was their fourth win in four Group H fixtures and guarantees them top spot and a place in the last 16.



It was the just the latest in a host of come-from-behind wins for United this season that had certainly not looked on the cards for most of the contest in Portugal, which they had struggled to really get going in and was halted for around 15 minutes not long after Alan's goal by some of the floodlights going out in a power cut - seemingly to the visitors' benefit.



"I think we can play better football - at times it was too slow but the result is the most important thing," Rooney said.



"I think we had quite a bit of possession, we just needed a bit more movement and speed to our play, and thankfully in the last 10 or 15 minutes, when it mattered, we got them."



Veteran United midfielder Ryan Giggs, who came into the first XI as one of six changes from the Arsenal game, felt the introduction of Van Persie shortly after the resumption of play following the power cut was crucial.



The striker subsequently netted his 11th goal of the season by expertly guiding the ball over the stranded Beto from outside the box when the goalkeeper rushed out too soon, and Giggs can see why some of his team-mates have been drawing comparisons between Van Persie and his fellow Dutchman, the former United frontman Ruud van Nistelrooy.



"It wasn't until after we went 1-0 down - probably when Robin came on - that we started to play a little bit better," Giggs, 38, said.



"His confidence is just sky high at the moment.



"I read last week that a lot of the players think he's similar to Ruud in the respect that Ruud used to get a chance and more often than not he'd put them away.



"That's the case with Robin at the minute; his confidence is high, we're creating chances for him and he's putting them away."



With a maximum 12 points, United - who also currently lead the Premier League - are eight points clear of Galatasaray and Cluj in Group H, and nine in front of Braga, with two rounds of group games to go.