Manchester United defender Chris Smalling insists teammate and captain Wayne Rooney has not been affected by his lack of goals in recent months.
The England international skipper has not scored for the Red Devils in his last 10 appearances and his last domestic goal came towards the end of last season in a 3-1 victory over Aston Villa at Old Trafford.
He was frustrated once again at the weekend as he had an effort incorrectly ruled out for offside as United dropped points for the first time this season after being held to a disappointing goalless draw by Newcastle United.
Rooney came under fire from a selection of United supporters following his ineffective display at Villa Park a week ago and there has also been calls for manager Louis van Gaal to sign a new striker before the transfer window closes next month.
However, Smalling insists Rooney is still capable of firing the club to glory this season:
“I think if you see in his play, he is running in behind and he is giving himself opportunities,” the defender said [via Sky Sports]
“I think we probably had double figures in terms of chances, not just to Wayne but for the whole team.
“It’s just a case of one of those falling in, but the majority of the team is getting those opportunities so if we keep creating those chances, they will come eventually, Smalling added.
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