Ferguson told that he is concentrating on building Rooney’s match fitness and ignores the debate in the press about his recent form.
Sir Alex said at his Friday press conference: “You can train all you like, but to get the timing and tempo of your game right, the only way to do is to play games. I’m more than confident he will get that very, very soon.”
“I know, and deep down every defender in the country knows, the lad will come to life, I have no fears about that at all.
“All he needs is games. And he needs to focus on what we are telling him because young players can sometimes start to believe what other people are saying or writing about them, which can be very disruptive.
He added: “As I have said many times, whether it is good or bad, Wayne is the number one seller in this country now.
“We are discussing a 20-year-old boy and people are hoping I will say this is the end of him. But there is no problem for me. I know his heart is in the right place, the desire is there, the attitude is good. Why should we create problems for ourselves when all we need is patience?”
“Wayne is intelligent enough to understand the mechanics of the business. Sometimes, things can come too quickly and it has been a bit of a roller-coaster for him in the two years since he joined us.
“Although he had played for England at that stage, he was just showing the glimmer of potentially being a great star. But, on a lot of occasions since, he has carried the mantle for us, which is exceptional for a player of such a young age.”
