Ferguson plays down Rooney drought

Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is not concerned at Wayne Rooney's continuing goal drought.

The Manchester United striker has still not scored for his club in open play since March and the barren run continued in Sunday's 2-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford.

"Wayne had a couple of tries today," reflected the United boss. "He was very unlucky with the chip and there were a couple of shots saved by the goalkeeper. He is getting there. The important thing is he is playing well. That is refreshing."

Instead it is forward partner Dimitar Berbatov grabbing the headlines and another double for the Bulgarian took his tally to 13, as well as extending United's unbeaten record to 17 games and consolidating their position on top of the table.

However, Ferguson is delighted with Rooney's overall contribution and has no fears for the England hit-man.

"Dimitar could have scored four or five," said Ferguson. "He had some terrific opportunities.

"I was disappointed with the score at half-time.

"We hit the bar and the post. Their keeper has made a couple of good saves and we played some really good football.

"It was exciting stuff but then we just seemed to go into third gear."