Critics don't bother me, insists Rooney

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Wayne Rooney ended his long wait for an away goal against Everton on Saturday but he insists criticism of his form has never affected him.

Wayne Rooney insists he has never been bothered by critics after he ended his long wait for an away goal against Everton.

The Manchester United skipper struck his side's third in a convincing 3-0 victory on Saturday at Goodison Park, after first-half goals from Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera.

Rooney's form in the Premier League has been often criticised in some quarters, while his last away goal against his old club came back in 2007, but the England captain says dealing with pressure from media scrutiny is nothing new.

When asked whether he considered his goal drought to be over, he said to Setanta: "It depends what the press thinks, they call it what they like. What matters to me is what my manager and team-mates think.

"It [criticism] does nothing at all. I'm a strong man, I've had it throughout my career. I just have to keep working hard and try to help the team be successful.

"It was a very good performance. We were disappointed with [the defeat at] Arsenal and it's been difficult coming here over the years.

"We know we've got a very good squad. Hopefully Arsenal was a one-off and we can keep giving performances like today."