Rooney's striking mastery impresses Dutchman
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Your support makes all the difference.Ruud Van Nistelrooy has been surprised with the ease with which his strike partner Wayne Rooney has adapted to life at Manchester United.
For the first time since his £18.5m move from PSV Eindhoven four years ago, Van Nistelrooy risks missing out on top place on the team's goalscoring charts. With 12 to his name so far this term, the Dutchman is three behind Rooney.
Van Nistelrooy acknowledges Rooney has bucked the usual trend by producing such consistently high performances since his move from Everton. "Most players find their first season at a new club quite hard, but Wayne doesn't seem to have had any problem dealing with it," Van Nistelrooy said.
"You really don't see people of his age with that kind of ability very often. He is strong. He can take people on and play in so many positions. He has also scored more goals than he has ever done, which says a lot about him too."
While admitting it was a pleasure to be in the same side as the 19-year-old, Van Nistelrooy believes Rooney is also benefiting from the competition. "Wayne proved his ability during last summer's European Championships, but it is not just him," said Van Nistelrooy. "We also have Cristiano Ronaldo and Darren Fletcher here. There is some amazing young talent in the squad and although it is great to have Wayne here, it must be good for him to play in the kind of team we have."
Both Van Nistelrooy and Rooney should be in action on Saturday when United meet Fulham.
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