Rooney Confident Of Shouldering Man U's Goal-Scoring Burden

The Red Devils may have lost CR7 and Carlitos, but Roo believes he can make up for their loss.

Wayne Rooney is confident that he can fill the goal-scoring void left by the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez from Manchester United.




Rooney often found himself on the wing to accommodate one or both of the pair, and while he was not averse to the role, he is hoping for a more central role in the coming season.



Speaking to The Times, Rooney said, "We've lost two key players, and obviously I hope we can get a few players in.



"Between them Cristiano and Carlos scored a lot of goals for us last season and the season before, but I would like to think I'm capable of filling that gap. I've said before that if I can play in my right position, I'm capable of doing that.



"I want to play in the position where I feel I'm best. A lot of people think I'm best as a center forward."



However, Rooney was keen to emphasize that he understood the need for the team to play around Ronaldo last season, and he expressed confidence that they could cope with his loss.



"Cristiano is such a talent, he can score from anywhere, so you try and accommodate him," he continued.



"As a team, we accommodated him because we knew he could win matches for us. Now that he has gone, we will have to score more goals between us, but I feel like I'm capable of scoring a lot of goals.



"To play in a Champions League final and to play week in, week out for Manchester United is a privilege and it's something I'm very lucky to be doing, but I don't think playing on the wing I can express myself as much as I like to."



With the signing of Antonio Valencia looking imminent, Rooney's wishes could well be granted, as the Ecuadorian is more likely to occupy a slot on the wing, rather than the central role in which Ronaldo sometimes played.

Ours to throw away-Wayne rooney

25/04/2009 21:22, Report by Gemma Thompson

Wayne Rooney says the title is United's to throw away after the striker inspired a stunning comeback against Tottenham.

The 23-year-old scored two and made two in the 5-2 victory at Old Trafford, while it was his defence-splitting pass which led to United's controversial first goal from the penalty spot. The victory sent the Reds three points clear of Liverpool at the Barclays Premier League summit and Rooney says the Reds are determined to stay there.

"We know we're in a great position," he told Setanta Sports. "We've got five games left and it's ours to throw away. It was very important to win against Spurs and stay top of the league with a three-point margin. It gives us great belief and confidence ahead of the Arsenal game [on Wednesday].

Despite being 2-0 down at the break, Rooney says United never lost hope and always believed one goal could lead to a hatful.

"It was a brilliant comeback. We played too slow in the first half and Tottenham caused a few problems, especially down the right.

"But even at 2-0 down we knew once we got that first goal we'd get more opportunities to score. Thankfully we took them and in the end it was quite comfortable."