Rooney defends de Gea

WAYNE Rooney has leapt to the defence of under–fire Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.

The former Atletico Madrid man has come in for heavy criticism in the past couple of weeks.

De Gea was blamed by Gary Neville, among others, for a stoppage–time Tottenham equaliser a fortnight ago, prompting manager Sir Alex Ferguson to hit out at the opinions of "idiots".

There were plenty who felt the 22–year–old was also responsible for Southampton's early goal on Wednesday, even though Michael Carrick admitted it was his fault.

But De Gea produced a series of excellent saves at Fulham as United eked out a crucial 1–0 win.

And match–winner Rooney was quick to highlight the Spaniard's contribution.

"David has made some great saves over the last few weeks," he said.

"I know he got a little bit of criticism after the Tottenham game but it wasn't the biggest mistake I've ever seen. We're all behind him. He's a great player for the future as well."

A 10–minute break caused by a floodlight failure halted the momentum of both sides at Craven Cottage and the match was heading for United's first goalless stalemate in an incredible 97 games until the 79th minute.

Rooney finished smartly for his 10th goal in as many games.

With the blockbuster Champions League encounter against Real Madrid looming, progress may not be quite as smooth as it has been for United, so their present points advantage over Manchester City may be needed.

Fulham manager Martin Jol believes United are destined to clinch the title this term.

"I think they will win it," he said. "Rooney was always a problem for us. This time we kept him quiet. But he scored a goal out of nothing. That is him."



MANCHESTER United will conclude their 2013 summer tour in Hong Kong.

The club confirmed today that they will return to Hong Kong for the first time since 2005 for a fixture against local outfit Kitchee FC on July 29.

United have already announced a six–day training camp in Sydney and a game against an A–League outfit on July 20. It is also expected they will visit Thailand and Japan.

"The club has tremendous support throughout China and especially in Hong Kong," said chief executive David Gill.