Manchester United boss David Moyes has mentioned that he is pleased with the overall performance of the striker, but still wants him to step it up before the game against Manchester City. The whole summer it was rumoured that Rooney would leave the club and seek his fortunes elsewhere, but ultimately United managed to keep him.
The relationship between the two parties was estranged to such an extent that Moyes openly declared that he would play Van Persie as the primary striker and Rooney would be used only as a reserve. But now it seems that the relationship has improved between them and Rooney has made a successful comeback to the team.
“I didn’t think there was ever a line to draw between me and Wayne but now he realises the situation. This is a big year for him with the World Cup and he would say, by his standards, ‘last season wasn’t my best season’. The great thing from our point of view is that he has set out his own stall to improve on that, and we are all pleased with the results.”
“Wayne’s attitude is that he is a big-game player. People come to see players like him make the difference. The top players do influence games. Having players like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie at the club gives us a chance when games are tight. I said during the summer how much I was looking forward to seeing the two of them play together. That hasn’t changed, in fact as a partnership I think it can get even better.”
Both the club management and the fans would now like to believe that Rooney would make a significant contribution this season and guide the club to numerous glories.
While the whole world is waiting for United’s clash against City on Sunday, Rooney has stated that the Manchester derby is not the biggest game for United, claiming the clash against Liverpool as more competitive.
“City have had their success recently, but I would probably say that United and Liverpool is still the biggest game,” the striker said.
But he went on to add that the game against City is also a very big game and he would be looking to score for his team in that game.
“It’s a big game and we’ll be going there hopefully to win. I’ve scored a few goals against City and I’m looking forward to the match. It’s a massive game between two title contenders. It’s not going to define the season, but it’s a big game, a local derby.”