Two seasons ago Wayne Rooney looked set to leave Manchester United because he believed the club didn’t match his ambition. Since then, United have won one title and lost another on goal difference.

However, it was hard to ignore some of the truth in Rooney’s statement, with United rarely dipping in to the transfer market to secure big signings.

This summer, Sir Alex Ferguson made arguably the biggest signing of his career in Van Persie, who was last season’s top scorer, as well as the Football Writers’ and PFA Player of the Year.

Rooney has sung the praises of his new team mate as well as fellow strike partner Javier Hernandez.

“He’s a fantastic player,” he said. “He’s been a great addition to the team, scoring goals, and he’s great to play with. Not just him but ‘Chicharito’ (Hernandez) has been brilliant in recent weeks when he’s played, scoring goals, so I think we’re sharing the goals out and it’s great for the team.”