Points mean more than performances to Rooney

Manchester United’s big fightback from a forgettable start to the season gets under way at Villa Park this afternoon.

In Wayne Rooney, they have a man determined to lead it.

The England striker is the type of player who is devastated if he loses a tackle or a throw-in doesn’t go his way.

So it’s not hard to imagine how much it has pained Rooney to see the Champions languishing in ninth place in the Premier League after dropping ten of the last 12 points.

An unconvincing Champions League victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday at least avoided the ignominy of three successive Old Trafford defeats for the first time in over 50 years.

Indeed, Europe has provided David Moyes and his team with something of a release valve from the pressure of their domestic woes.

But Rooney who has been United’s best player by some distance this season is backing himself and his team-mates to rescue their season and put an end to the increasing critiscism of the manager.

“Aston Villa is a massive game for us now,” he admits. “We go there on the back of beating Shakhtar and hopefully we can play better than we did on Tuesday. In the end, though, three points is what we want, regardless of the performance.

“After losing the last two home games against Everton and Newcastle United, we couldn’t afford to be beaten again in midweek.

“The performance against Donetsk could have been better, but we knew we had to win at all costs. Now we all have to come forward and show why we were Champions last year.

“All of us have to step up. It’s not about me, it’s about the team. If the team isn’t doing well, then my form isn’t important.

“You might say we’ve been unlucky at times but we haven’t won the games. In some matches we’ve not put ourselves in a position where we could have won them.

“We have to roll up our sleeves and really pull ourselves together. The players are determined to do that.

“We are all proud and it’s not nice being where we are in the League. It hurts. So hopefully there will be a reaction.

“We’re not sure why it’s happened, but it has. It’s disappointing to be where we are but we have a good bunch of players.

“We need to go out and show we are hungry to get back into a good position in the League.”

After a tough run of early fixtures, Moyes’s team now face four matches against teams below them in the table.

A schedule which includes West Ham, Hull and Norwich after this afternoon’s game at Villa should offer United the opportunity to make up lost ground.

“There are a lot of games left and a lot of points to play for,” Rooney adds.

“Villa Park has been a good ground for us in recent years, and we have a good run of games coming up.

“At the moment, we just have to keep trying to get three points in each one.

“If that’s a 1-0 victory, then we have to take it and keep trying to climb up the table.

“We have to be realistic now and see where we are in four, six or eight games’ time.”