United they stand as Rooney wades through the hype

HYPE and hyperbole have man-marked Wayne Rooney over the years more successfully than any defender has ever managed but, at the age of 23 this Friday, the Manchester United man finally appears to have found a way past them.

His goal in last night’s demolition of Celtic was his eighth of the season for club and country, all of them coming in the space of a month and seven of them in the last six games – perhaps his most consistent spell ever in a red shirt.

He went into the tie still revelling in headlines won for his performances alongside Emile Heskey for England, having been at last given a central striking role by his manager Fabio Capello. But at Old Trafford all the talk is about his understanding with United’s latest hero, Dimitar Berbatov, who scored twice in a routine victory in which Rooney played very much as an all-out centre-forward and relished the opportunity.