Wayne Rooney Praised Adnan Januzaj

Wayne Rooney believes the three points at Sunderland on Saturday can turn United's fortunes around in the Barclays Premier League.

 

The Reds came from behind to sink the division's bottom club thanks to two second-half strikes by Adnan Januzaj and Rooney was pleased with the way the champions battled in adversity. After missing the Champions League tie with Shakhtar Donetsk, the England international was keen to help his side go into the two-week break on a positive note.

"I think that’s what we needed, to get the three points and to show a bit of character as a team," the striker told reporters at the Stadium of Light. "A win like this can turn things around. I think us, as players, know we haven't been good enough. A new manager has come in and we haven't been good enough for him.

"Obviously the manager is under a bit of pressure but we know, as a team, it's us who have let him down. We have to pull together for the manager and show the sort of fight we have done here and we'll be fine. This will be a transition season because it’s a new manager with different styles and we have to adapt to them. More importantly, we need to do better for him than we have been."

David Moyes mentioned Januzaj in the same breath as Rooney when discussing youngsters he has handed debuts and the Belgium-born prodigy can certainly be proud of his full league debut. "He's a great prospect," enthused Rooney. "He takes the ball and he runs at players.

"We know the ability he has got but you never know how they are going to react when they are thrown into games. There is a lot of pressure but he seems to thrive on it. "He's not shy - he's very confident, I think that’s great to see. A lot of the young players who come through are a little bit timid and shy, but he looks comfortable and he’s confident in his own ability, which you need to be."