Fergie pays tribute to ‘great’ Rooney

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Sir Alex Ferguson has praised Wayne Rooney and told the striker not to get upset about his goal drought.

The England international heads into the match against Aston Villa today at Old Trafford having failed to find the target in six games.

Ferguson, however, believes there is much more to Rooney than just goals.

The United boss was full of praise for the player’s all-round performance in the emphatic defeat of Liverpool on Sunday.

He said: “I was speaking to Alex Miller (Liverpool coach) after the game and we both agreed Wayne was unbelievable.

“He was great all day. You just had to look at his aggression, his control and his penetration.

“I have not one problem with the boy. I hope he plays as badly for the rest of the season. That will do for me.”

Meanwhile Ferguson is convinced his assistant Carlos Queiroz will not be joining Benfica next season despite growing speculation in Portugal.

Queiroz is in his second spell at United after a brief stint as Real Madrid’s head coach.

Ferguson said: “I am quite certain Carlos will not be going to Benfica.

“The Real Madrid experience was something else. It was a job he had to take.

“But he learned how difficult it is. He wasn’t allowed to buy and instead told to sell players.”