Rooney Needs to Continue Good form

Wayne Rooney scored two solid goals against Aston Villa in mid-week and will be on the hunt for many more.

Rooney scored a brilliant dipping volley and closed off a good United move from close range in a match where he was looking a little more back to his best. The performance went to prove that whatever is said about Rooney, he still knows how to stick the ball away when he is given a chance.

There seems very little reason for Sir Alex Ferguson to do anything other than start Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov together in attack for the millionth time in a row. It is harsh on Javier Hernandez who is waiting for a chance but a fit and fired up Rooney is a weapon that United cannot afford to do without.

There were two parts of Rooney’s game that looked particularly good against Aston Villa. The first was his ability to spot a weakness in the opposition and exploit it. Although both goals were very different from each other, Rooney used the space well on both occasions to make a shot on goal easy for himself.

The other aspect is the instinct he shows in the opposition penalty area. Despite the fact Rooney has not been at his best for a long time, the one thing that has never disappeared from his game is the ability to sniff out a chance and take advantage of it. He’s provided a high number of assists over the course of the season even though he hasn’t scored a lot of goals himself.

It’s more important than ever that United keep him in the side because Chelsea have upped the ante by making some big money January signings. Ferguson will want nothing more than to secure the league title this season and set a new record. However, Chelsea are capable of going on a run that could last nine or ten games without a loss.

Rooney is going to be vital over this period because he can when the club sees the fruits of Rooney and Berbatov both scoring goals, it’s frightening to think what they can do to a weaker team. Rooney will also be determined to catch up with his strike partner who is some way ahead in the goalscorer ranks.