Ferguson wants Rooney run

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is hoping Wayne Rooney’s double against Wolverhampton will kick-start a flurry of goals.

Rooney had gone eight English Premier League matches without scoring prior to his double at Old Trafford on Saturday, as United cruised past Mick McCarthy’s team 4-1 to deliver the perfect response to Wednesday’s Champions League disaster against Basel in Switzerland.

“Sometimes strikers do go in spurts,” Ferguson told Sky Sports. “Hopefully that is now Wayne on one of those really good spurts of his.”

Ferguson declared himself pleased with his side’s attacking play but admitted they had to hold out at the back at times, particularly due to the wing play of Matt Jarvis.

“I was pleased with the attacking part, it was very, very good,” he said. “We could have scored a lot of goals against a Wolves team that played very well themselves in terms of their football.”

“They kept crossing the ball into the box and they were a real threat with that. We had to defend that really well.”

“I think they deserved a goal through that, Jarvis kept pumping the ball into the box and they kept attacking it. We’ve had to really do well with that, but the attacking part of our play in particular was excellent.”

McCarthy was left disappointed by the scoreline, and also shed some light on Wolves’ approach for the match: “There were two ways of approaching the game for me,” he said.

“It would either to be come here and sit back and try and frustrate them – which I think would allow them to just gradually pass their way out and play their way out. And if we don’t put them under pressure or come and go 4-4-2 and try and stop them playing and be in their faces … that was my decision to do that.”

“The goals were disappointing. They’ve gone through players’ legs and (goalkeeper) Wayne (Hennessy) can’t see either of them. When you’re 1-0 down at Old Trafford, it makes life difficult.”