Wayne Rooney’s fiery temperament and aggressive play may land him in trouble occasionally on the pitch, but Manchester United boss David Moyes says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
The England striker was at the centre of a contentious clash with Cardiff’s Jordan Mutch on Sunday where he narrowly excaped being sent off.
Yet Moyes has refused to criticise his forward and supports the aggressive side of his game.
“He’s an aggressive player, he plays with his heart as well as the skills he’s got in abundance,” Moyes told reporters.
“A lot of people said that might have been missing from his game last season – it’s certainly not missing now.
“He’s got the hunger back and the desire back and he’s committed for everything – I’d rather have a Wayne Rooney that way than any other way.”
United sit top of Group A, one point clear of Wednesdays opponents Bayer Leverkusen and three clear of third placed Shakhtar Donetsk.
The Red Devils travel to the BayArena without captain Nemanja Vidic and star striker Robin van Persie.
Victory for United will secure their passage to the knockout rounds but Moyes knows the task will not be easy.
“We want to get the job done before the final game but we know we have a tough game,” Moyes said.
“They have a very good team in a strong league. It’s a European tie away from home and we had a good result at home against Leverkusen.”
Manchester United had an unexpected difficulty when travelling to the game as their plane had to abort its landing 400m above the runway.
The plane managed to land safely at the second attempt at Cologne/Bonn airport.
While the club refused to make an official comment, Rio Ferdinand shared his thoughts on Twitter.
“Landed in Germany…just …I’ve only just recovered after that choppy landing!”
Inage courtesy of MUTV via YouTube, with thanks.
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