Chris Smalling has backed Wayne Rooney to soon return to the Manchester United starting XI after being dropped.
Chris Smalling has backed Wayne Rooney to bounce back from being dropped for Manchester United's 4-1 rout of Leicester City.
The United captain has faced heavy criticism following an indifferent start to season and manager Jose Mourinho opted to bench the skipper at Old Trafford against the Premier League champions.
The Red Devils were superb in the absence of Rooney, who made a late cameo as a substitute, scoring four first-half goals to leave Leicester shell-shocked.
Mourinho later offered his backing to Rooney, though, and Smalling - who acted as stand-in captain - says the 30-year-old was not affected by the decision and is sure his club and England team-mate will come back strong.