Source: Daily_Mail
Sir Alex: Rooney can be a great United scorer but may not reach Bobby's tally
Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Wayne Rooney to become a prolific goalscorer but has doubts over whether he can beat Bobby Charlton's Manchester United goals record.
Rooney notched his 102nd strike for United with a penalty against Arsenal last week but Ferguson has urged Rooney to maximise his goal threat by focusing more on his duties at the business end of the pitch rather than drop deep into midfield.
'It'll be very tough,' said Ferguson of Rooney's prospects of reaching Charlton's tally. 'Sir Bobby's record is 249, so at this stage ofWayne's career he'll have to do very well to get anywhere near it.'
Centurion: Wayne Rooney has over 100 Manchester United goals
'The boy's got a real hunger and drive. He has so much energy thatsometimes he overdoes it in the sense that he wants to use it all;he'll drop into midfield or go outside left.
'But he's young, and young players sometimes want to spend all their energy on the pitch.
'If he concentrates like he did (in the match) at Wigan and spendsmore time in the central areas rather than the wide positions then hewill get goals. There's no doubt about that.'
Penalty: Rooney notches another goal with a strike against Arsenal
United have lost their top scorer in recent seasons following Cristiano Ronaldo's £80million move to Real Madrid, making Rooney's contribution more important than ever.
But Ferguson dismissed the idea that Rooney has anything extra to prove. He said: 'I don't think he looks at it that way (the need to replace Ronaldo's goals). Wayne always wants to do well and play well.
The United boss also singled out Rooney's breathtaking volley against Newcastle in April 2005 at OldTrafford as his favourite Rooney goal.
'His volley against Newcastle takes some beating,' said Sir Alex. 'It came totally out of the blue. He should have had a foul a minute before and the referee didn't give it, so the anger in him was so high that he tried to burst the ball!'
