Cole: Rooney Not 'Comfortable' In No 9 Role

Andrew Cole believes the system Manchester United play with Wayne Rooney as the focal point of the attack is not helping the England captain.

Rooney moved past Cole to second outright in the all-time list of Premier League top-scorers after netting the winner in United's 2-1 victory over Swansea City on Saturday.

The brilliantly-taken strike was his third league goal of the season, and only his first since mid-October, as United have struggled collectively to find the net under Van Gaal, and speaking on the Goals on Sunday sofa, Cole said his former side's formation makes it difficult for strikers to get the chances they need to get United's season up and running, and sympathised with Rooney's plight this campaign.

"There's not a lot of chances created for forwards playing in that system," said Cole. "If you watch Manchester United this season, you'll see there's not a lot of opportunities being created to score goals.

"So when the chances come, you can snatch, and he's [Rooney] done that a few times. But I'm glad to see him score yesterday."

"The way the team plays, it contributes to how Wayne plays as well. Does Wayne want to play as a number nine? I don't think he's played as a number nine for many years and to be the focal point now, I'm not sure if he's comfortable playing in that role.

"That doesn't mean he doesn't put the work in. He works very hard, and it's been very frustrating for him. Sometimes when you're playing, you're not sure where your next chance is going to come from and when it does come you're snatching at chances. It's tough for a centre-forward."

United have been linked with a host of stars this transfer window, with Van Gaal refusing to rule out a move for a striker in January, but Cole isn't sure it is the best time of year to recruit.

"It's tough in January, I don't think anyone wants to lose their best players mid-season," Cole said. "When you talk about who you would like to bring in, we can all sit here and bang off all these names but that doesn't mean Manchester United will get them.

"United's objective again will be to get in the Champions League to try and inspire those players to come to Old Trafford next season and to try and build on this campaign. It will be a tough one, but it will be interesting to see what players they try to bring in."

Credit: Skysports.com