Rooney Unfazed By Criticism

Wayne Rooney insists Manchester United are happy to 'win ugly' if it means lifting trophies this term.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson has repeatedly expressed his displeasure at claims his men are not at the same level as successful United sides of the past.

Even after Ferguson's men eliminated Marseille from the Champions League on Tuesday night, manager Didier Deschamps added fuel to the fire, insisting the men in red are not up there with the best squads Old Trafford has produced.

Yet despite criticism over the team's style of play, Rooney is happy to take that on the chin if it means the Red Devils go on to emulate the famous treble-winning side of 1999.

"I would take that all day," he said.

"Look at Inter Milan. They won the Italian treble last season. You wouldn't say they were the most entertaining team to watch, but they achieved history.

"Maybe we do need to kill games off a bit quicker but hopefully we can do that in the future."

The 25-year-old believes there is no need to apologise for performances this season, pointing to the surprising impact newcomer Javier Hernandez has made since joining the club this summer.

In the young Mexican, Rooney is sure that his manager has unearthed the "steal of the season".

"You can see he is in good form scoring-wise but he works so hard as well," he added.

"He always tries to stay on the shoulder of the last defender. You know he is quick, which makes it easier to find him.

"By making those runs behind defenders, it creates more space in front of them. It is certainly working well at the minute."

With fellow strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Hernandez lighting up the score sheets this term, Rooney has been left in the shade by comparison.

Despite a lack of goals by his own high standards, the England international insists he is relishing his current deeper role.

"I am actually quite enjoying it," he said.

"Although last season I scored more goals, I wasn't getting involved in the game. As a football player, you want to be involved and setting things up.

"I am happy to take on the responsibility. When you set a goal up it is a great feeling. It is up there with scoring certainly."