Rooney has scored just two goals in the Premier League for United this season and Meulensteen admits the striker ‘does not look totally himself’.
“You can’t throw it all at Wayne himself, it’s a combination of a few things,” he told TalkSport.
“Wayne is an adventurous player who likes to have freedom on the pitch, to roam around and get involved and find his own way to get into the game.
“I think at the moment he’s a little more restricted, he doesn’t always get the ball when he wants it and where he wants it.
“Manchester United are going through a transformation from the style Sir Alex Ferguson liked to play.
“He wanted to play with a lot of creativity, a lot of freedom and, at times, risk, but now under Louis van Gaal it’s much more calculated. It’s more about working your way up the pitch, it’s more laboured and more pedestrian.
“Wayne’s stats in the derby may have looked poor, but a lot of players’ stats also looked poor.
“But I do feel that he is not totally himself when I see him play at the moment.”
