United, who last won the 2013 title in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season with the club, returned to the top of the league with a 2-1 comeback victory over Fulham on Wednesday night, extending their unbeaten away streak to 17 games.
For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, it was a dramatic turnaround – having finished 33 points last season behind champions Liverpool – and Rooney puts a lot of that down to the signings of Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani.
Derby boss Rooney, Old Trafford’s five-time Premier League winner, believes that the new arrivals have returned the club to a winning mindset and given Paul Pogba the freedom to finally succeed at United.
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Rooney said ahead of this weekend’s Sky Bet Championship match at QPR:
“The last few years, Manchester United haven’t been ready to challenge for the title, but now they’ve brought in players like Fernandes and Cavani – players with a winning mentality – that has helped massively.
“Paul Pogba will have a massive part to play in that. Those players that have been brought in with winning mentalities will relieve some of the pressure from Paul a bit, and he can now show his quality on the pitch.”
