Manchester United players Chris Smalling and Memphis Depay remain supportive of Wayne Rooney despite the captain's failure to end his go...
Manchester United players Chris Smalling and Memphis Depay remain supportive of Wayne Rooney despite the captain's failure to end his goal drought against Newcastle on Saturday.
Rooney, who has now failed to score in his last 10 club matches going back to April, did have the ball in the net at Old Trafford, only to see his effort ruled out for offside.
When asked if his teammate was suffering from a crisis of confidence, Smalling told Sky Sports: "No. I think if you see in his play, he is running in behind and he is giving himself opportunities.
"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."
Despite his lack of goals, though, Rooney is continuing to have an influence in other areas, at least according to Memphis.
"Wayne Rooney helps me a lot," said the Dutch forward, who also wasted good chances to score against the Magpies..
"He has a lot of experience. He already knows everything about the football world so if I have any questions I can ask him."
United had 20 shots against Steve McClaren's side, eight of which were on target, but were unable to continue their winning start to the new season.
"It was a frustrating afternoon," added Memphis. "We started great and sharp and we created some chances but didn't finish them. The second half also we created some more chances but again we didn't finish it so that was the frustration.
"When you look back you have to say it was one of those days but we have to start finishing. I could have finished a couple of chances but I didn't and I have to work on that."