Carlos Defends Under-Fire Rooney

Assistant boss Carlos Queiroz has defended striker Wayne Rooney following his below-par displays against Celtic and Arsenal.

The Portguese cites Rooney's lack of action since suffering a broken metatarsal in April as the reason for his rustiness.

?Since he got injured against Chelsea, Wayne has played seven games ? not all of them full games. So for me, he is making a natural progression in his form," he said.

"He cannot produce miracles if he has not been playing games. He needs to play more matches before can get back to his maximum."

Rooney and his team-mates face Reading this weekend as they bid to bounce back from last Sunday's home defeat to Arsenal.

As a close friend of the Royals' Irish midfielder Stephen Hunt, John O'Shea is looking forward to Saturday's game more than most.

"We used to be big rivals when we were younger," O'Shea told ManUtd.com. "I'm looking forward to coming up against him, it'll be a real flashback for us.

"He always remembers how I used to nutmeg him when we were younger and I'm sure he'll be trying to do the same to me on Saturday!"

Tag: Manchester United , Rooney , Arsenal