Wayne Rooney has admitted he complained about his recent fine and feels the disciplinary issue affected his performance for Man Utd.
Manchester United striker grumbled about his recent fine
Wayne Rooney has admitted he complained about his recent fine and feels the disciplinary issue affected his performance for Manchester United.
The Red Devils striker was punished due to a lacklustre showing in training following a night out after the club's Boxing Day victory over Wigan Athletic.
Rooney missed United's next match against Blackburn Rovers on New Year's Eve and produced a subdued display on his return in last week's 3-0 defeat at Newcastle United.
However, the England international returned to his best with a brace in the FA Cup win at local rivals Manchester City after acknowledging he was 'tense' after being punished by manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Conflict
When asked if he had grumbled about the fine, Rooney told
La Repubblica: "Yes, but for reasons that I can't say. I accepted it.
"But I was tense when I got back on the pitch and I think it showed."
Rooney added: "You can't always agree. Football is made up of all kinds of conflict.
"In a dressing room, between players, between us and the manager, between us and loads of people who don't seem to matter. It's constant and harsh sometimes."
The 26-year-old also dismissed Roberto Mancini's claims that he had helped to get City defender Vincent Kompany sent off for his challenge on Nani during United's thrilling 3-2 success at the Etihad Stadium.
"He [Mancini] claimed that I encouraged the referee to send off Kompany with a gesture," continued Rooney.
"If it were like that, every player who makes that gesture after suffering a foul would direct the game in place of the referee and obviously it can't be like that."
