ALEX FERGUSON has warned Wayne Rooney he is no longer certain of a starting spot for Manchester United.
By NEIL CUSTIS
Superstar striker Rooney’s first-team place was never in doubt before this season.
But the arrival of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa has put real pressure on the England international.
United boss Fergie admitted he is yet to decide who his regular pairing up front will be as Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck are also well in the frame.
Roo, 26, has just returned from a month out with a gashed thigh and was in fine form in Wednesday’s Capital One Cup win over Newcastle.
Ferguson said: “It is early doors but with the situation we have at the moment, I don’t know where I am going in the sense of what my best partnership will be because I haven’t seen Rooney and Van Persie together.
“But I am happy in the knowledge I have the options there.”
Rooney has accepted the challenge and believes the competition can only be good for the team.
He said: “There is a lot of competition up front but that is great for the squad.
“The manager will rotate when he feels it is necessary as there are a lot of games throughout the season.
“It means we can get a rest here and there to make sure we are ready for the big games towards the end.”
Fergie relegated Rooney to the bench against Fulham after his poor display in the season-opening loss to Everton where he looked unfit.
Rooney then suffered a gashed right thigh in the Old Trafford game against the Cottagers and missed a month of action.
United host Tottenham today and the frontman has scored in seven of his last eight Premier League appearances against the Londoners.
Ferguson believes Rooney is looking fitter now than he did on the opening day.
The United gaffer said: “Wayne has had a great training programme in the time he was off.
“He was never out of the gym to begin with because running was out of the question. In the last two weeks he gradually got into the football part, not in contact situations.
“He was getting his fitness back very well in terms of his timing.”
And Rooney feels that his campaign is only just beginning.
The Scouser added: “It does feel like the start of my season.
“It was a freak injury. I am glad to be over it and back playing.
“There is only so much you can do in the gym. You need that training and game time to get you to your full sharpness.”
The prospect of a Rooney-RVP partnership is exciting.
After all, they were the Premier League’s top two scorers last season with Rooney three behind the 30-goal Dutchman. But Ferguson also likes the idea of playing Kagawa behind RVP in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
And he has not forgotten what Welbeck and Hernandez — or Chicharito as Fergie likes to call the Mexican — can do for him.
He said: “Probably the strongest part of the club at the moment will be in the striker department. I could play any combinations.
“Chicharito has done nothing wrong. Welbeck is promising and shown that with England.
“They are not first-team choices at the moment. That doesn’t mean to say it will stay that way because competition is always healthy.
“Being the kind of young lads they are, they are desperate to establish themselves in our first team.
“That is what competition is. We had it in 1999.
“It did a lot of good for Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke because they knew Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to play and they did get a lot of football.”
While Rooney at his best is undoubtedly a certain starter, he has been served warning that he simply cannot slip below those very high standards.
There is every chance he will start behind Van Persie against Spurs.
And the omens are good for the home side as the last time Tottenham won at Old Trafford Gary Lineker got the only goal — way back in 1989.
Andre Villas-Boas’ up-and-down start to the season looks like it will continue at Old Trafford today.
Ferguson said: “At Chelsea, when he came to our ground, Andre’s team tried to play football.
“It’s a difficult industry these days, particularly for a young coach to come into a big club.
“It must be a very daunting challenging — full of risk, really, because it’s a results industry.
“He suits Tottenham because they have always had a tradition of playing good football.”
