Manchester United's Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring his second goal of the game. Source: AP
WAYNE Rooney has spoken of his pride at becoming only the fourth player to score 200 goals for Manchester United.
The 27-year-old striker reached the milestone in United's 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League yesterday, when he scored twice and also laid on a goal for Antonio Valencia.
Rooney joins Bobby Charlton (249), Denis Law (237) and Jack Rowley (211) in reaching a double-century of goals for the club, and now trails Charlton by 49 goals in United's all-time scoring chart.
"It's a great honour for me to have scored 200 goals for a club like Manchester United," Rooney said in an article on his website, www.officialwaynerooney.com.
"When you look at the list of top scorers, I think I'm only the fourth player in the club's history to have reached this number after Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law and Jack Rowley.
"It's certainly something I'm very proud of. My main aim is always to help the team win games and if I score, that's a bonus. Hopefully there are still a few more goals to come from me yet."
Rooney also hailed the club's fans, who afforded him a standing ovation when he was substituted towards the end of the Group A game at Old Trafford.
"The reception I got when I was substituted was amazing and meant a lot, so I want to thank the fans for that," he said.
"The Manchester United fans have been brilliant since the start of the season, their support home and away is always top drawer and means a lot to the team."
Rooney reportedly became unsettled during the close season and was the subject of two bids from United's Premier League rivals Chelsea, both of which were rejected.
He was reluctant to discuss his status at United after the Leverkusen game, however.
Asked if he was happy at Old Trafford, he told an ITV reporter: "Listen, I'm concentrating on my football, as I've done all summer.
"I got my head down and worked hard to get myself fit and ready for the season. I'm delighted with the way I've come back, delighted that I'm back playing and scoring goals."
Pressed by the reporter as to whether he had asked to leave the club, Rooney snapped: "Listen, I've just told you - I'm concentrating on my football, which I've been doing all summer."
