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.

Ever since scoring a hat-trick on his Champions League debut, against Fenerbahce in September, 2004, the Englishman has been earmarked for greatness and subjected to the kind of media frenzy only the likes of David Beckham can possibly understand.

So it is perhaps understandable his progress has not always been as fast or as recognisable as many critics would have liked. But the evidence of a personal breakthrough this season is now compelling after he scored for the fifth game in a row in yesterday’s triumph.

There are experts who claim Rooney’s career flat-lined last year when he was overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo at club level and over-burdened by expectation in an England shirt. But this year there is a real vibrancy to a player who is capable of providing a unique mix of skill, intensity, aggression and goals when he is at his very best.

Although Berbatov will earn the majority of the morning headlines for his two-goal show against Gordon Strachan’s side, Rooney was comfortably the most impressive player on show in a game that United barely had to turn up to win. The partnership is still young but Rooney has managed to score in all of his last five games for United (and was only denied a brace by an inaccurate offside flag last night) while Berbatov has hit five goals in four matches during the same period.

IT AUGURS well for United as they bid to become the first team ever to successfully defend the Champions League and the only man losing out is Carlos Tevez, the Argentine striker who has been one of his team’s most consistent performers over the last year but who now finds himself on the bench and unable to break the Rooney-Berbatov axis.

In truth, Berbatov is yet to really hit top form in a red shirt and even last night, despite the goals, his performance was nowhere near the all-round quality of his strike partner.

But the arrival of the Buglarian appears at the very least to have fired Rooney up for battle and encouraged manager Ferguson to keep his star player where he belongs – in the penalty area.

Rooney played tight to Berbatov against the Celts, rarely dropping deep into midfield as he is prone to do, and concentrating instead on making an impact in the final third where he can be so lethal.

He twice forced saves from Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc, saw another effort disallowed and then eventually hit United’s third, taking full advantage when Glenn Loovens backed off to expertly twist and send an 18-yard effort into the net.

Rooney’s form, of course, will inevitably lead to more hype, more expectation and more scrutiny. But in the same way that David Beckham has dealt with it all you suspect United’s current superstar is now finding a way to navigate through the constant traffic jam of attention and criticism.

“I like to prove people wrong if I can. If I can keep doing that hopefully I will improve,” he said recently.

It’s a quote that says a lot about what makes Rooney tick and reveals an attitude that should serve him well — long beyond Friday’s birthday celebrations.