Rio Ferdinand has backed Wayne Rooney to rediscover his best form, insisting the Manchester United striker is close to ending his nine-month wait for a goal from open play.
Rooney, who scored 34 goals last season to be named player of the year, has managed only two goals this campaign, both from penalties. However, Ferdinand believes the forward is showing signs of a return to sharpness after his last two performances, including Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Valencia.
'Everyone knows what happened over the last few weeks but Wayne's come back and he's looking sharp again,' Ferdinand said. 'He didn't score in the last game but he looked sharp and set up a good number of chances for other people. It's only a matter of time before he scores and then goes on one of those runs where he scores loads of goals.'
Ferdinand, however, is facing a fitness battle ahead of Monday's match between the Premier League's top two teams after being withdrawn in the second half against Valencia with a sore hamstring. The England captain has endured 18 months of recurrent injuries, including a damaged knee that ruled him out of the World Cup and longstanding back problems.
'It's OK,' he said of the hamstring. 'It was precautionary, coming off before anything really serious may have happened, but we'll see on Monday. I'll be having treatment for the next day or two and then we'll see how we go from there.'
Ferdinand added: 'I'm training probably harder than at any point in my career trying to make sure I stay out there on the pitch and continue playing. I've played 15 games this season already, which is one of the most in the squad, so this is a good run of games for me. If I have to sit out three or four games, I'll be disappointed but I don't see that happening.'
