The manager of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, has said that Wayne Rooney will have to fight hard for his place in the first XI in the upcoming matches. Ferguson gave this statement in a press conference ahead of the match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Rooney has been a regular member of the first XI of Manchester United since the last 8 years, but, with the arrival of Robin Van Persie in the club this summer, his place in the first XI is no longer guaranteed.

Rooney was dropped from the first XI in United’s second match of the season against Fulham and when he came to play as substitute in that match, he had injured himself severely and was ruled out of the team for one month. The strikers who got the opportunity in Rooney’s absence performed brilliantly. Now, Rooney has got fit and he also started the Capital One Cup match against Newcastle United. But, Alex Ferguson thinks that Rooney would have to prove his utility in the team, otherwise, he would struggle to find a place in the starting XI in the further matches.

When asked about Rooney, Ferguson said, “It’s obviously good to have Rooney back, but, some youngsters performed well for us in the last 4 or 5 matches and it’s not fair to leave them out of the team without any reason. So, Rooney will obviously have to face a tough competition from the other strikers for a first XI place.”

Ferguson seemed to be quite impressed with the performance of Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez. These two players didn’t let United miss Rooney at all. Ferguson said, “Welbeck has been quite impressive in the ongoing season and the same can be said for Hernandez. We have quite a few options as far as the strikers are concerned and the competition for that first XI spot might bring the best out of the players.”