Fergie knows best, says Rooney

Wayne Rooney says he is certain Alex Ferguson will help swing the Premier League title race Manchester United’s way.

Another of those amazing last-gasp winners at Norwich on Sunday kept United two points adrift of leaders Manchester City heading into the final 12 games of the campaign.

It is a period of the season Ferguson famously described as “squeaky bum time” due to the high levels of pressure placed on the competing teams.

Yet it is also the time when United’s long-serving boss is at his best.

“He is a great manager,” Rooney said. “He knows which players he can speak to and which players he can shout at, if he needs to.

“He knows how the players react and how to get the best out of them.

“His mentality for the game, his commitment and desire are things that the players try and take on themselves.

“For me, he’s been brilliant. He is a great leader for our team.”

Rooney missed Sunday’s game with a throat infection that has also ruled him out of England’s midweek friendly with the Netherlands. Given United visit title rivals Tottenham next Sunday, his club probably view the international absence as a good thing as they try to oust City from top spot and close in on their 20th championship success.

“We are only a couple of points behind and we have a lot of games to go,” he said. “We are confident we can push on. Hopefully I can kick on and score a lot more towards the end.”