Source: PA
Hughes: Rooney will be back among the goals soon
Mark Hughes expects Wayne Rooney to rediscover his goalscoring touch soon - but hopes it returns after Sunday's showdown at Craven Cottage.
Manchester United will provide Hughes with one of the most challenging starts in his opening match at Craven Cottage as Fulham manager. Counting in Fulham's favour, however, is that United's star striker Wayne Rooney has now gone 13 games without scoring for club or country dating back to March 30.
Hughes draws similarities between his own playing style and that of Rooney and believes it is only a matter of time before the England marksman regains the finishing touch.
"I was never prolific and would never score ones or twos every other game," said Hughes, who spent 13 years at Old Trafford over two spells. In fairness I was streaky myself and at times Wayne has been that type of striker. Sometimes my work as a player took me out of the areas where I was most effective and that was in and around the box.
"When you're trying to work hard for the team you can be out of the areas where you have maximum impact. That affects the number of goals you score. There's a bit of that in Wayne's play at the moment because he's such an enthusiastic guy and wants to be involved in every aspect of the team's play.
"That's taken him away from being in areas where's he's most dangerous. It's only a matter of time before he starts scoring, as long as it's not this weekend! He's a quality player. Class is permanent, form is temporary. There's no doubt he'll return to scoring ways and once he does he'll find they'll flow quite freely."
