Rooney is confident Di Maria will shine

Posted Monday, March 02, 2015 by manutd.com

Wayne Rooney believes Angel Di Maria will quickly rediscover his best form for Manchester United and help the club achieve its aim of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.

Di Maria has become a fans’ favourite in his first season at Old Trafford, despite the inevitable difficulties that sometimes come with settling into a new club and country. The Argentinian was substituted at half-time during Saturday’s 2-0 win over Sunderland, with United manager Louis van Gaal explaining "we have to give Angel more time to adapt to the Premier League."

When asked if Di Maria has the necessary talent and quality to prosper with the Reds, Rooney was typically convincing in his response. "Of course he has," said the skipper. "It [Saturday] was just one of those days that every footballer has. He is a great player, he has shown that and you don’t lose your talent overnight. Hopefully he will get back to his best and start giving some great performances for us.”

Although Rooney has previously come through difficult periods of his own, he is understandably reluctant to offer any advice to a player of Di Maria’s experience and calibre. Instead, the United captain feels his South American team-mate is capable of looking after himself.

“He has got a lot of experience and I think he will figure it out, we all have to do that sometimes," explained Rooney. "There is nothing worse than when everyone keeps going on at you. You have to come to it in your own way and I am sure he will be a big player for us between now and the end of the season.”

Rooney himself was deployed as a striker in Saturday’s match at Old Trafford and scored both goals to secure an important victory, firstly netting from the penalty spot before securing his well-earned brace with a comfortable close-range header.

Those goals have taken his tally for the season to 11, which is all the more impressive when you consider he has played in midfield for much of the campaign.

“Everyone knows I’ve played midfield for the majority of the season but my record shows that I score goals so I’m not worried about that at all,” Wayne said. “I was obviously pleased that the manager played me up front and I was delighted to get the two goals but the victory was the main thing today because after last week [when United lost to Swansea] it was important that we bounced back.”

Asked if he would like a run in the side as a striker, Rooney continued: “Well, that’s down to the manager. I’ve said before that it’s his decision and I respect his decision, wherever he wants to play me. I’ve played there throughout my career so obviously I know how to play up front. So I’m ready to play there if and when he wants me to do it.”