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Rooney wants the record

Image: Wayne Rooney: Has amassed 175 career goals for United, a tally that leaves him just adrift of Viollet and Best

Wayne Rooney is determined to become the record goalscorer in Manchester United's history.

Sir Bobby Charlton's tally is the pinnacle for United striker

Wayne Rooney is determined to become the record goalscorer in Manchester United's history and has rejected the suggestion the club's current squad is not one of the strongest. England international Rooney remains on 28 for the current campaign, having drawn a blank in Monday night's Premier League win over Blackburn at Ewood Park. It means he has amassed 175 career goals for the Red Devils, a tally that leaves him just four adrift of Dennis Viollet and George Best, who are level in fourth spot. Rooney admits it will be an honour when he moves level with those legendary United figures, but the 26-year-old regards Sir Bobby Charlton's mark of 249 as the ultimate target. "Of course," he told Inside United. "It would be an unbelievable feeling if I could get his record.

Club legends

"I'm still a long way away, but hopefully, one day, I will be able to do it. "They (Viollet and Best) are obviously club legends and to be in touching distance of their goal tally is something I'm really proud of and hopefully I will overtake them soon." Meanwhile, Rooney has dismissed the theory this is a poor United compared to the stellar squads of recent years. "There have been games when we could have played better, but we've shown the spirit and the determination to grind out results when we've needed to," he said. "We've got a lot of quality players in the side and at times this season we've played some great football.
Great position
"If you look at the points tally for this stage of the season, it's probably one of the highest in United's Premier League history. "We won the league last season and are in a great position to do it again, so we haven't done that badly." Certainly Rooney will be keeping abreast of any developments at the Etihad Stadium over the coming weeks as a title race tends to become all-consuming. "It's on your mind all the time and you're thinking about it every day," he said. "The games usually come every three or four days at this time of the campaign so you're always thinking about the next match and looking at the league table all the time. "It's brilliant, though, and a very exciting time."