Rooney: I'll start scoring again for United

Under-fire Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney admits his performances have not been good enough but the veteran striker expects to prove his critics wrong.

Rooney has made an underwhelming start to the 2015-16 season, with the 29-year-old yet to score a goal in the opening three games of the campaign.

Louis van Gaal's decision to move Rooney back to his preferred position up front was expected to yield goals but the England skipper produced a subdued display against Tottenham on the opening day of the Premier League season, while he was out of touch at Aston Villa the following week.

Rooney was kept goalless again in United's 3-1 UEFA Champions League play-off win over Club Brugge on Tuesday as his streak without a goal extended to nine competitive matches.

While Rooney feels the criticism directed at him is unfair, he is confident the goals will come.

"I've had one bad game this season and everyone's all over it," said Rooney. "I know I've had that all throughout my career but hopefully at the weekend I can get off the mark.

"I'm an honest guy, I know when I haven't played well and against Aston Villa I was below my standards and I know that. Fortunately I had a much better game [against Club Brugge], I could have got a goal or two but that's football.

"It's early on in the season. Everyone will write about the end of last season and the beginning of this season [not scoring] but we're three games into the new season, so it's down to me to keep going. I've experienced this before and the goals will come, I know that, and hopefully that day will come on Saturday against Newcastle.

"I had a couple of half-chances [against Brugge], with the header in the first half, and a couple which I was reaching for, especially early on with the cross off Adnan [Januzaj]. But I think I just have to keep putting myself in the right positions and hopefully one will come."