Rooney relishing 'perfect' cup draw against rivals City
Send a link to a friend
[September 23, 2016]
(Reuters) - Manchester United
will have a perfect opportunity to redeem themselves against
neighbors Manchester City when the sides clash in the fourth round
of the League Cup, captain Wayne Rooney has said.
Pep Guardiola's side drew first blood in the Manchester rivalry this
season, beating United 2-1 away in the Premier League on Sept. 10,
triggering the first of three successive defeats for Jose Mourinho's
side.
United got back to winning ways against third tier Northampton Town
in the cup encounter on Wednesday and Rooney will be looking for
revenge against City when the sides clash at Old Trafford in late
October.
"For me, I think it's the perfect draw," he told MUTV. "With what
happened in the league, it's a chance for us to get revenge for that
result. It's going to be a great atmosphere.
"I think City will have 7,000-8,000 fans here, which will obviously
make it an even better atmosphere. I think a cup game against City
at Old Trafford is the perfect draw for us."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Sep/23/images/ads/current/pestcontrol_bch_termites.png)
Rooney also remains convinced that United will be in contention for
silverware this season, despite an underwhelming start.
"I think he's (Mourinho) been brilliant since he's come in," the
midfielder said.
"Training has changed a lot. The training has been really good and
it's interesting to see how he prepares for games with tactics, how
we approach games, and it's been really good.
"I'm sure obviously we will come back and definitely be challenging
this season."
The 30-year-old has come under intense media scrutiny for his
lackluster performances this season but Rooney said he chose to
ignore "rubbish" criticism.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/092316pics/sports71.jpg)
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney Action Images via Reuters / Andrew
Couldridge Livepic
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Mar/14/images/ads/current/tires250x300.gif)
"Yeah, I think I've had that my whole career... a little bit more of
late, I think, but that's football," he added.
"I listen to my coaches and my team mates, the people around me, and
I don't really listen to what a lot of people out there are saying
because a lot of it is rubbish.
Seventh-placed United host champions Leicester City in the Premier
League on Saturday.
(Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru; Editing by John
O'Brien)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Sep/23/images/ads/current/richardson_lda_090916.png) |