Rooney dismisses City bid

Red Devils star confident champions will finish above rivals

By Richard Bailey   Last updated: 18th September 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Rooney dismisses City bid

Rooney: Confident of seeing off City

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Wayne Rooney is confident Manchester United can see off the title challenge of local rivals Manchester City.

The two teams face each other on Sunday at Old Trafford in one of the most eagerly anticipated Manchester derbies in recent years.

Mega rich City have no doubt been boosted by the £120million manager Mark Hughes has spent this summer as he bids to build a squad capable of launching a title bid.

City go into the clash having won all four of their opening Premier League games and their 4-2 win over Arsenal last time out has many at Eastlands believing this could be their year.

However Rooney is more sceptical and he is counting on United's experience of fighting for honours over recent years to see them finish above their neighbours come May.

"What has happened at City must be pretty amazing for their supporters," he told the Daily Mail.

"They have bought some great players and there is a real excitement around the city. It's great for everyone in Manchester and probably in the Premier League too, because there's another team now challenging.

"But we all know that it's not just about who you buy and how much you spend. I'm confident we'll see off their threat.

"We have the experience of winning big trophies and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it."

Main man

The 23-year-old also revealed that he was relishing the responsibility of easing the goalscoring burden brought on the by the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid.

The striker already has six goals from seven games for the Red Devils this term and is eager to improve that tally on Sunday.

"Ronaldo is the best player in the world so questions were always going to be asked," he told Nuts magazine.

"But I've been under pressure playing first-team football since I was 16 - it really doesn't affect me. It's a good challenge more than anything else.

"I hope I can be United's main man. The manager has said that he wants me to play upfront, not on the wing, so that has helped.

"And when you get on a scoring run, your confidence helps you sail through games. This is the most important year of my career so I want to make the most of it."