ALEX FERGUSON has explained the thinking behind the surprise deployment of Wayne Rooney as a central midfield player for Manchester United’s Champions League victory over Otelul Galati on Wednesday night.

Rooney displayed his versatility in a deeper role and, while Ferguson said the midfield berth is unlikely to become common for the England international, his manager hailed the striker’s contribution.

“He’s got the appetite for it, he’s got the energy levels for it and I thought his awareness of people around him last night was really good,” Ferguson said. “His first touch on the ball was excellent which gave him time to look up and move away from his opponents.

“I thought he did well but I’m not putting any marker down for that position now because it depends on what is available. I think he’s scored 10 goals so far so you want him to be in positions where he can get you more goals, and I think that position is where he normally plays.

“He disciplined himself last night and didn’t belt off forward all the time. He held his position quite well and played as a natural centre midfield player. He provided a lot of our forward passes and I thought that was good.”

A lack of alternatives, Ferguson conceded, played a significant part in his changing of Rooney’s role. “Tom Cleverley is still injured, Michael Carrick has just started training today, Darren Fletcher wasn’t available last night,” the United manager said. “There was a thought we might put Phil Jones back in there, put young Fryers in and put Fabio at right-back because we wanted to rest Evra after a busy spell. But we decided, why not play Wayne there?”

Meanwhile, Ferguson has described his 25 years in charge at the club as “a fairytale”.

Ferguson, 70 in December, has won 12 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, two Champions Leagues and a Cup Winners’ Cup at Old Trafford.

“It is a bit of a fairytale to last so long,” said the Scot, who joined United from Aberdeen in 1986. “It has been a fantastic spell for me. It is something you don’t think is going to happen and I appreciate that.”

Despite his incredible achievement at the highest level of English football, Ferguson has never been comfortable discussing past glories.

Even when asked about his milestone yesterday, he started with his oft-repeated phrase: “I am not getting into that.”

But the 69-year-old did allow himself the briefest of reflections on a career that has brought him glory way beyond what anyone could have imagined when he succeeded Ron Atkinson on November 6th, 1986.

Since then, Ferguson has lifted 27 trophies and overseen the rise of numerous world-class players.

“When I look back I say to myself how fortunate I am to have had these players,” he said.

“The list is incredible, going back to the very start with Bryan Robson, Norman Whiteside, Brian McClair, Hughes, Ince, Keane, Cantona. What a collection of players. They were fantastic players.

“It is hard to think I controlled all these players for so long. Now to the present era of players we see today, different personalities and different cultures.”

Ferguson famously set out to “knock Liverpool off their perch”, a target he achieved last season when United edged ahead of the Reds by securing their 19th top-flight crown.

Attention will inevitably turn to how long he can go on, to which he commented: “I will continue as long as I feel healthy enough to do it.”

Guardian Service