Rooney bullish on Champions League chances
Captain Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United are capable of earning the win in Wolfsburg they likely need to reach the Champions League knockout phase.
Wednesday’s home stalemate against PSV, in a game where victory would have secured their passage to the round of 16, left the three-time victors facing an uphill task.
With PSV favourites to overcome CSKA Moscow in their final game, Louis Van Gaal’s men probably require all three points at the Volkswagen Arena.
And Rooney, who saw Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard spurn glorious opportunities, knows how tricky it will be in Germany.
“It was a game we were capable of winning,” he told BT Sport. “We were good in the first half, and could have been ahead, but showed a lack of composure in the second.
“We’re disappointed and going out to Germany will be tough. It always is. But we have to believe in ourselves and have the confidence that we can do that.”
Rooney’s sentiments were echoed by defender Chris Smalling.
“We had more than enough chances to win the game,” he said. “We’ve made it difficult for ourselves in the final game.
“We knew that [Wolfsburg] would be the toughest game so we have given ourselves a lot of hard work.
“We needed to take our chances. If we got the first goal, it would have been a lot easier.
“We’ve only got ourselves to blame, but we can do it in Wolfsburg. We will go there with hope.”
